Mercurial Signs
by TheMaxx
Summary: After Sonic saves Antoine from the Antis, Bunnie and Antoine reunite but do not feel the passion they used to. They outgrow one another and when things go south between them they split. In this new time alone Bunnie see's her life in a new perspective and she contemplates what for years she had ignored.
1. Fair-Weather

**Disclaimer** - I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

For those who like the art here's the link go to Deviantart or google

/art/Commission-TimeCrisis2-307085714

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><p>Planet Mobious, the Knothole...<p>

The people of the Knothole walked through the village; it was a peaceful day. The sun shined, but it was getting late in the day. It was just a few days since the thwarted assassination of the king and the interruption of Patch and Sally's wedding. In the most eastern part of the village sat Bunnie Rabbot's hut. She sat on the edge of her bed after have awaking. Her spirits lifted now that Antoine was back. She was happy he was with her again because she had been so lonely. However, even after the long stint of there on off relationship over the years they decided to take a break. Because they were not feeling that fire they used to in their relationship. Antoine coming back wasn't as great as she had expected.

When Antoine had been kidnapped, she had let her emotions get the best of her. The anger and shame flushed over her; she stood and made her way out of her hut and walked in the direction of the forest. Her face neutral; she still felt horrible about it. More because it wasn't even the real Sonic, she had been messing with an impostor. That dirty hedgehog took advantage of her and many other women. Although she knew that was an excuse to mask her own wrong doings she knew. Bunnie reached the outer rim of the Knothole and not going any place in particular, she wandered through the forest.

Messing around with Scourge wasn't the only reason she felt bad in the situation though. She'd chose to mess around with Scourge when she didn't know it was Sonic, because she was trying to use Sonic to make Antoine jealous; Patch. Ever since she and Antoine had been together every now and then Antoine's jealousy of Sonic would rile him up. She had hoped it would've worked. However, not knowing it was Patch; it had no effect. She had used very low tactics to try to achieve her goal without realizing the implications of what she had done.

First, she had been using one of Antoine's worst feelings against him and second...thank goodness it wasn't the real Sonic. She almost used Sonic like he didn't mean anything to her. Bunnie hung her head low walking along; she knew more than anybody that was furthest from the truth. She looked over her robotic body parts remembering the cold grip of death before Sonic had saved her from being robotticized. Her and the gang had been real tough on Sonic after he unwillingly attacked the Knothole, and after coming back from space and stopping the Antis. The irony was that neither events were directly his fault yet he was still blamed. Even after Sonic had cleared his name from the Mecha Sonic incident the Freedom Fighters in secret had watched Sonic up until he was teleported into space...

After her embarrassing forte with Scourge, she saw in her weakest moments how...evil she could be...

Bunnie spotted a stump and went over and sat in the quiet of nature. It was both guilt and sympathy that pushed her to wonder about Sonic's recent unsettling behavior; she was more worried about what had happened to him now. She wished things would just be ok for everyone, that Eggman would disappear, and they could live a normal life. Eggman did a major blow to Sonic when he robotticized him. She was beginning to see some of that bad emotion about it seep from Sonic, and Bunnie was to say the least just as afraid as when he was Mecha Sonic. That might've been another reason the people were fearful of Sonic too now. Because they looked at Sonic like he was Eggman's puppet. Antoine hadn't been any help during the crisis either, actually surprising Bunnie when she saw him quite pleased that Sonic was tried for treason.

Antoine's attitude had changed for the better but that had caused some friction in their relationship. Even so, Bunnie could not deny being called a hypocrite by Antoine when she was almost on the same page of fearing Sonic. Saying what was happening to Sonic was bad yet at the same time saying he was dangerous. Only being separated by her empathy. Both actions led them to this temporary breakup. Antoine was not at all pleased when he found out about Scourge. He told her to admit any feelings about Sonic. Bunnie told him the truth saying she just used him but after saying those words, she felt wrong. Her thoughts were interrupted as a swirl off wind surrounded the area and Sonic screeched to a stop in front of her. Bunnie laid her hands on the stump leaning back; she smiled at the cocky grin he always held.

Sonic put his fist on his hips "Yo. What are you doing out here Bunnie?"

"Nothen much. Jus clearin my head. I am kinda restless with what Nicole was saying tha othaear day." Bunnie said with a smile.

"Yeah yeah, she said she could create a city with tiny robots or something. It sure would be nice." Sonic said with a thoughtful face.

"We wouldn't be infiltrated so easy neither..." Bunnie said slightly looking away.

But she saw in her peripheral vision that Sonic visibly had become uneasy. Bunnie quickly turned back to him; she had hurt him with what she had done. She had been trying to deny it in her head but seeing it in person made her heart break.

Bunnie stood from her stump with a light frown on her face"I neva meant to do thet Sonic, it's jus..."

"Forget it, love makes you do crazy things..." Sonic said smirking a bit making it an exit conversation; he began to turn and walk away.

Bunnie donned a worried expression as her brows wrinkled together "Sonic wait!"

Sonic stopped and looked back blinking his eyes in confusion "Lets hang...we haven't in forevva..." Bunnie said with concern still evident on her face.

Sonic pondered for a hot second then nodded although he still seemed a bit hesitant "Alright..." he said unevenly as his expression became neutral.

Bunnie became neutral by his demeanor and fell into step with him. They made their way back to the Knothole. All the while, she observed Sonic's body language; their trust was definitely broken. The guys were still weary of Sonic, but had been trying to help restore Sonic to his previous self by building trust with him. She had saw Tails and Sonic spending more time together lately. Sally spent more time with him too. Bunnie as a major offender hoped this spur-of-the-moment action would lead to something good. They traveled to where most people spent their time socializing in the Knothole, in the middle of the village. The area was pretty loud, but that was the point.

They both took a seat on a log next to each other and conversed "Were going to be in trouble if we don't get some kind of place to stay since we know the Dark Legion has teamed up with Eggman." Sonic said looking over to her with a serious expression.

"Don't they mess with mechanical thangs?" Bunnie said sounding a bit worried.

"Yep. The Legion is under control of Lien-Da. Did you know they've been rounding up the people Eggman had robotticized?" Sonic said looking away.

"No, I didn't. I'm only half; I hope they keep their paws to themselves..." Bunnie said with a frown.

"I dont want to find out. Some people in the Knothole have some robo parts, you know other than you." Bunnie nodded "But that's what the Legion does. If they hacked you, we wouldn't know what would happen. That's what Rotor said anyway." Sonic said looking at the ground with a frown.

"I was hopen he wouldn't say thet..." Bunnie said also looking at the ground.

They sat quietly next to each other while everyone around them was talking up a storm. She had never really sat and talked with Sonic much. Antoine and she spent more time with each other than she remembered now. Rotor was busy. Tails was young, and Sally and Sonic were always doing something. She and Antoine was just bound to happen. She glanced at Sonic seeing he was now more comfortable in her presence. On the other hand, it seemed so anyway, he still looked burnt after coming back from space. She didn't think he was one to hold a grudge but the Mecha Sonic incident had made everyone look at Sonic differently.

"We've been in eternal war times haven't we?" Bunnie asked looking into the sky as her face became stoic.

Sonic pinched his mouth scrounging through his mind staring at the ground "It doesn't ever seem like there's good news does it."

"If we evva make it to peaceful times I hope everythang is jus perfect." Bunnie said optimistically as she stared into the sky.

Sonic kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke again "Maybe its just me, but it seems like when things die down the real things come out of hiding..."

Bunnie lowered her head as she donned a curious look, looking confusedly at him; not exactly sure what he was eluding to "The real thangs?" she inched out.

Sonic remained quiet for a moment slightly confusing her and Bunnie noticed that Sonic had become uncomfortable again. Now she was thinking this spur-of-the-moment thing was a terrible idea. No matter how she tried to deny it, there was some bad water between her and Sonic. It seemed he was talking about individual's personal issues and how ugly they were when exposed in quiet times and the worst times. At least when it was chaotic things that really hurt people were overlooked because of what was going on. When things slowed down you also got to see what a person was really like too; when there were no more games, nothing to hide, and everything is exposed. When an individual was acting completely there self...the analogy was vague...

Suddenly, they both didn't know what to say anymore. Now as they sat next to each other, they were both looking for an excuse to get away. Bunnie wondered were they even friends anymore because Sonic, at least right now didn't look like he wanted to talk to her. Nevertheless, the feeling of dread was washed away as the alarms in the village went off. The people within the village began to scatter, and chaos ensued. Sonic and Bunnie shot up looking at each other. They both nodded with serious expressions, getting up and running in the direction of the Freedom Fighters hut.

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><p>Beta chapter, lets see how this turns out.<p>


	2. Limerence

**Disclaimer** - I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

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><p>Sonic and Bunnie reached the Freedom Fighters hut in no time and were greeted by Tails, Rotor, Antoine, Sally, and Nicole. Sally had went over their basic strategy of protecting everyone, but the added detail of the Dark Legion made her rethink her whole plan.<p>

"Bunnie, you will be in serious danger, but we need you out there with everyone else. Eggman chose the perfect time to attack, when the sun is starting to set..." Sally said looking over a map of the Knothole with a stern expression "From the intelligence gathered I can't say if they're going to go after everyone. We're just gonna have to ride it out. Let's go!" Sally said grabbing Nicole and exiting the hut with everyone following her outside.

They all split up and followed the procedure of rounding up the citizens. Bunnie had made her way over to the area were her hut was and began calming down the citizens and leading them in the direction of underground bunkers. Bunnie led the citizens out of the Knothole and into the forest. It was a chaotic few minutes, but a few minutes into the forest Bunnie heard the sounds of guns in her general direction. Bunnie hurried the many people she was escorting, but was not fast enough. Small metal devices flew through the air attaching themselves to the citizens. Bunnie dodged them seeing the Legionnaires come from out behind some trees not far away.

Dressed in black hoods and wearing red mask they continued shooting the devices from their guns. Bunnie was getting ready to attack when she heard the cries of people around her. Some citizens had fallen to the ground stiff as a board. The rest had ran off into the darkness of the forest. Bunnie looked closely at the fallen people still avoiding the Dark Legion's attacks; they were the partially robotticized citizens. In her own shock by what was happening she was also hit, a small metal device magnetically attached to her robotic leg. In an instant, Bunnie went numb. She blinked her eyes with a neutral expression, but she could not move the rest of her body; aware but unable to move.

The Legionnaires ran over to her and pushed her to the ground. Bunnie would have grunted, but she couldn't speak. She watched as they attached more devices to the people. The ones who had no robotic parts were not affected and got away. Bunnie felt fear remembering what Sonic had said not long ago. As she lay on the ground helpless she wondered why they were rounding up the partially robotticized. To control them would be too simple although Bunnie knew that was a possibility. The Legionnaires went out of sight for a moment; Bunnie looked around as best as she could, but it was too dark. Minutes later The Dark Legionnaires returned and pulled out a radio and called someone; she couldn't hear them though.

After their radio talk the Legionnaires went all around the area gathering the frozen bodies and putting them into a pile along with Bunnie. For a couple of minutes Bunnie could not see anything; someone's foot was in her face. Then the sound of a vehicle approaching was heard. Bunnie heard a hatch open and the Legionnaires began tossing the citizens into the vehicle. When Bunnie was finally able to see again, she saw a huge truck with a large cargo area to transport them; thankfully there was no roof on the cargo area. Bunnie saw a few more people chucked into the truck when she finally was. She landed on her back, and she could only see the night sky full of stars. The last bit of people were tossed in, and they closed the hatch.

Bunnie heard them get into the truck and close the doors. She couldn't express herself at the moment, but she was in a panic as the truck started to pull off but the truck only drove a little distance and shut off. Bunnie could not see anything; it was pitch black under the trees. She didn't have to wonder what they were doing when she heard the guys talking to citizens.

_"Where is Bunnie?" Rotor asked them._

_"We don't know. I was just running for my life when those guys disappeared." a concerned citizen responded._

_"Let's go check the bunker." Sally said and the sounds of many feet slowly disappeared._

Bunnie was screaming in her head; those good for nothings were pretty clever parking just far enough away so they were hidden. When everything was quiet again the truck started and they pulled off again. The frustration of not being able to move made her panic even more. Bunnie was at least able to see because she was lying on her back. Looking straight up seeing the trees sweep by then disappear as they left the forest, and out onto the open land. Bunnie had all types of horrific things running through her mind when the truck hit a bump, and she was turned over to her side and could not see anymore. After what seemed like hours of mental torture she began to wonder what would happen to them if no one had caught on. Eggman would have a field day...

Bunnie almost let the thoughts slip, but the smell of dirt and sulfur filled her nostrils. Her panic went back into overdrive knowing how close they were to Robotropolis. Her eyes darted back and forth with a neutral expression, but she could not move. But after a few minutes of driving she then felt the truck violently swerve, making her and everyone's bodies slide to the left. Then the truck stopped.

She could hear the trucks doors open and feet hit the ground still not able to see anything. She clenched her eyes closed as moments later the hatch was opened. She readied herself to be yanked from the truck but instead she felt fingers feeling over her body. She opened her eyes to see the relieving sights of Sonic and Tails. They looked over her and found the device on her robotic leg. They pulled it off of her, and she sprang back to life. Bunnie flexed her arms moving them about then looked to them donning a serious look; she got up and jumped out of the truck.

Her face remained serious as they all started freeing the citizens. It took a little searching, but they freed everyone and instantly started their trek back to the Knothole. Not before Bunnie had lifted and over turned the truck with a satisfying smile. As they walked back towards the forest of the Knothole, Bunnie looked back past the overturned truck to see that Robotropolis was just in seeing distance; it was way too close for her comfort. In the back of the group she knew it was gonna be a long walk back tonight...especially in her head...

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><p>It was around midnight when everyone had made it safely back to the Knothole. Bunnie, Sonic, and Tails group made it to the bunker and found out they had successfully fended off the Legionnaires without losing anyone...well this time anyway...<p>

Sometime later when they were sure the coast was clear the citizens retreated home, and so did the rest of the gang. Bunnie instead wandered around the Knothole in the night with many a thing on her mind. Many people were still out and about, but she was still feeling torn. After her little run in with the Dark Legion she felt violated. They really had developed some kind of technology were they could take over someone's body. Sonic to the rescue again...

Her mind wandered back to when Sonic was tried for treason; she couldn't help but to see the look in his eyes burned into her memories after the whole Mecha Sonic incident. He looked so burnt...resentful of them all...

No one had believed him and she was even tough on him because at the time she was equipped with a missile that was designed to hurt him. That was just before Sonic proved he was innocent and was sent to space, and everyone thought he had died. After Sonic had come back from space Patch and Scourge showed up and tricked everyone. Her relationship with Antoine didn't restart until Sonic came back not too recently after dealing with the Anti's.

Bunnie stopped at a nearby tree and leaned her back onto it; her eyes narrowed with frustration on her face. She and the others had really believed Sonic had intentionally tried to hurt them...it was the best way to break trust...to incriminate...he had proved them wrong by continuing to stand by them and help them like he always had...but she was sure he didn't trust them anymore...

She ran her hand through her short hair with a frown on her face. She remembered the day he came back from space; he saved everyone without a word. And when she saw him the first time in a long time he still had that look...a frown of distrust...

A little while after coming back from space Sonic discovered the Anti's were messing around, and he saved Antoine from the Anti's; at the time she was ecstatic that Antoine was back. But Sonic looked even more distrustful of her the next time she saw him; most likely learning about Scourge's antics and hers...

It wasn't just her though, Sonic had been quite indifferent to everyone after all that; she hoped she hadn't hurt him. Which was an excuse in her head to hide the painful feelings of guilt. Sarcastically she looked to the glittering sky full of stars. Of course not after he saw everyone at their worst, and now everyone looked upon him as a threat….her using who she thought was him...

_"I hope everythang will be ok..."_ she mumbled to herself with her brows narrowed together in frustration as she stared into the night skies.

A warm breeze blew through the trees above her. She wasn't sure if it was guilt that drove her sympathy or whether that was just another excuse to hide that she knew exactly what she was doing. She prayed she wasn't that bad of a person...

But she had to admit after Sonic had attacked she was weary of him for a time, that is until they thought he had died when he went into space. She had also moved away from Sonic even though it was a plot of Eggman; everyone had disowned Sonic like some kind of animal. She and Antoine had been together a lot more since Sonic had come back, but she was beginning to think Sonic was not himself anymore...

Bunnie's ears perked up hearing a loud argument. She moved from the tree she had been leaning on and moved to the sound of the argument which looked like a few huts away. Once there Bunnie saw a few people in the area not engaged in finding out the commotion but listening.

_"You can't just run away...when things get tough you stick it out! You move on!"_ the woman yelled to the person.

_"Things changed!_" Bunnie heard Sonic's voice.

_"Now just wait a second!"_ the woman yelled to him.

Bunnie and the citizens saw Sonic run out of his hut and into the forest. Bunnie jogged up to his hut to see Bernadette come out of the hut. She looked upset "Wha happened Mr.s B?" Bunnie asked her.

"Sonic is just trying to readjust...I wish his father was around right now…" Bernadette responded looking in the direction Sonic had run with a worried expression.

"Well why did he jus run off lik thet?" Bunnie asked raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Bernadette frowned "I keep trying to guide him so he'll let go of his mistakes. We all make mistakes..." Bernadette said finally looking at her.

Bunnie then frowned seeing and remembering that they were all in the same boat in this situation fighting against Eggman. It made her want to see if Antoine was feeling any different. Maybe it would make her feel better "He'll comeback tanight won't he? It's danjaerus to be out alone." Bunnie said with a frown.

She nodded "And just after what happened tonight...he can be so reckless sometimes." Bernadette looked at Bunnie "I don't think he will come back tonight." Bernadette sighed "I'm going to bed. He's gonna get his ears talked off when he gets back here." she smiled gently "Goodnight Bunnie." Bernadette said as she went back into her hut.

Bunnie frowned and bid her a goodnight too as she headed to Antoine's house…

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><p>A small walk later she had reached his house and knocked on his door; moments later he appeared and opened the door. He smiled "And what do I owe this visit?"<p>

Bunnie smiled back at him "I wanted tah talk."

Antoine let her in and closed the door behind her as she stepped past him. The room was illuminated by candlelight and Antoine sat down on his bed placing a book he had been reading on his nightstand. Bunnie sat down next to him "Yiah know sugh; I feel like befor we moved to fast."

"I think zis was more situational. I mean...you were the only one around at the time, and you didn't seem to mind me as much as the others..." Antoine said briefly looking away from her with his hands folded; he looked a bit shy.

Bunnie frowned as he looked back at her with a curious expression, "Why did you?" Antoine asked with a curious face.

Bunnie shifted uncomfortably "Jus like yiah said..." she said with uncertainty in her tone.

"That was only a part of it though, right?" Antoine asked her.

Bunnie nodded "I really wanted to try. We did but..." Bunnie stood turning her back to him; she paused "I don't think it was a mistake..." she said confidently.

"You're doing it again...lets put the truth out in the open." Antoine stared at her with an upset face.

"Is it my...parts thet yiah don't like?" Bunnie said turning around with an upset face.

Antoine quickly shook his head "They do not bother me. It's just I think we should spend a little more time thinking about zis. I need to rethink something's myself so let us not be hasty..." his tone sounded slightly untrusting.

Bunnie furrowed her brow looking more upset "I told yiah tha truth." he was sneakily referring to her deceitful ways with the Anti's.

"Be that as it may, I feel what happened will be a catalyst for many of our disagreements if we do not address it." Antoine said frowning.

Bunnie placed her hands on her hips giving him a wise look; her face upset "Yiah dont trust me?"

Antoine was sick of the conversation and sighed closing his eyes; a frown on his face "I still have mixed feelings..." he said in a huff.

Bunnie's eyes widened in confusion "Wha's thet supposed tah mean?

Antoine kept his eyes closed and it remained silent as it sunk in that he was not just talking about her behavior. He referred to the decline of passion in their relationship which was already happening before the anti's. And after it was over it didn't seem to be any better; like it was now. They had already forgiven each other for what happened between the Antis; and though that was a problem within itself that still caused friction between them. Why they were in such a rut in their relationship was a question they still hadn't been able to answer.

Bunnie frowned knowing it to be true; she didn't have an answer either "It jus somthang we need ta work on..."

Antoine adjusted his collar looking at her still frowning lightly "I want to make this work..."

Bunnie crossed her arms and her face became sympathetic "Jus kno yiah dont got to compete for me..."

But Antoine's frown deepened as his lips curled down even further "I must become better..." he paused looking away from her "I must become a worthy Knight...and for you..." his last statement a long pause.

Bunnie blinked her eyes with a surprised look on her face; she couldn't believe how much she didn't buy his last statement; he was still competitive; he wanted to; he liked to "Yiah anit gotta compete with Sonic!" she said as her upset face returned.

Antoine's face suddenly became angered looking at her "It's not that!" he blurted out almost raising his voice.

Bunnies anger flared as her brows knotted and she narrowed her eyes "Yiah aint doing it for me anyway! Wha does thet have to do with us? Our problems?" Bunnie raised her hands in the air.

Antoine was taken aback looking surprised as he realized that his competitiveness to be a better person was totally off topic and irrelevant to what they were talking about in their relationship. He realized how off topic they had become and still had no answers for where they were headed together in their relationship….

Antoine mumbled as he narrowed his brows looking upset "Well...you see..."

So Bunnie answered for him "Yiah need tah stop being so darn full of pride." she frowned at him.

Antoine frowned right back at her "And what if I was not? Is that your solution?" he shot back at her.

And Bunnie continued to frown as he had a good point. Him being competitive had always been a source of tension in their relationship, but him not being so didn't mean things would suddenly be better between them. As if the moment he stopped they would regain all the passion in their relationship. It wasn't the problem...well at least not the main problem...

Bunnie looked away from him "Yiah know what...I can't do this right knaa...don't yiah think we're already fightin enough among ourselves..." Bunnie said with an upset face.

She turned and stomped her way over to the door, and opened the door of the hut to leave. Antoine looked grumpier too after being caught in his lie "You hide a lot!" he yelled as Bunnie slammed the door.

Bunnie was pretty steamed as she made her way back to her hut; in her anger she admitted it now. Maybe they were just caught up in the moment when they got together. Maybe they were emotionally attached because they were lonely at the time...Antoine was never as physically attractive as she made him out to be…

But he was the only thing she knew…

He was the first person she had ever been with and being all that she knew she was afraid to move out of her comfort zone. Her mind was so clouded at the moment though, all she could think about was her own shame, with Sonic and the new threat of the Legionnaires, hoping sleep would wash it away. Being captured tonight was added to the list of things she was feeling bad about at the moment as she stomped her way home with an angered expression.

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><p>Meanwhile on an overlook Sonic stared into the distance at the bright glow of Robotropolis. His lips were curled down into a frown and his brows were furrowed in frustration. For the first time in his life he thought about...giving up...<p>

He'd casually shrugged off every attempt that Eggman had tried to kill him in the past. He held a deep frown; that wasn't what bothered him anymore though. The dis-trustfulness of his friends bothered him more...and he was tired...

The erosion of their friendships started years ago, but with every new challenge they faced he began to lose trust and faith in everything. His new depression stemmed from this fact mostly. What he thought he knew and the people he thought he knew were turning out not to be what they seemed...

When everyone turned on him...he looked at them different...

He couldn't see them the same anymore...

As he looked to moving forward in his life, he began to question did they really care? It didn't seem they really had his best interest at heart sometimes. The answer became increasingly uncertain as he kept his distance from everyone…

He was trying not to judge so hard…he tried giving the benefit of a doubt…but his expectations continued to be smashed as he watched others choose their actions…

He'd got captured by Eggman once…and he'd been mechanized...

He didn't remember much after he was restored but after he saw the damage to the Knothole. He knew that whatever he'd done it was bad...

And because of almost destroying the Knothole, he understood the reactions from his friends. But they still ignored him…they didn't believe him even though he proved himself innocent…

From that time on though he saw them in a way he never had…

Resentful, hostile towards him, they really didn't believe him...after everything they'd been through together…

They didn't believe for one second that he was telling the truth. And that's what hurt the most...that they actually believed he would do something like that...

In his eyes all trust between them was destroyed...

Some time passed after the Mecha Sonic incident, and things were normal for a time. They tried to move past the whole incident even though he had to prove himself innocent; and they forgave him. He never truly got over it though; he just bottled it. Then the Xorda attacked and he was hurled into space...

Sonic sighed as he walked over to the ledge of the overlook and stared out into the distance. He tried to move on after he was robotticized but when he returned from space the anti's made things worse with his friends. Their deceit left them even more jumbled up, and for a second time he saw his friends true selves in the face of a crisis…

Of selfishness...of distrust...

His eyes burned because he was sleepy, but the horrible feelings haunted him; it made it hard to sleep sometimes. So he then sat on the ledge for a few more hours letting his thoughts wander. He wallowed in the traumatic memories in his mind; the only way he knew how to deal with such things were to face them.

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><p>Around the same time elsewhere in the Knothole…<p>

Antoine closed the door to his hut as he began walking to the ring pool. He couldn't sleep. He was infuriated. He had let his irrationality get to him again. He knew he should had padded out his lie to Bunnie better. She didn't understand though. A man's pride was number one on every guys list and Sonic was the alpha male. Antoine walked past a few more huts then past a few trees when he came upon the open area where the power rings resided. He walked over to the water of the ring pool and stared at his saddened reflection in the water.

He was telling the truth kinda...he did feel threatened by Sonic...

Not so much about Bunnie either, that was an excuse. Although Bunnie had never said so the only reason they were even together was because at the time Bunnie was lonely. He was too, and they were caught up in the heat of the moment. He felt a lot of time they clashed, even though they always worked through it, it didn't make it any easier. He was beginning to see that he and Bunnie where attached, not attracted to each other.

Heck every women around the Knothole was fairly attractive. Bunnie was at first too...

He didn't find her captivating like when they first hooked up; she was the first woman that had ever showed him any interest. They were younger and in war times; they were still in war times. Bunnie was the first woman he had ever been with, and it was by default. Now Sally...

Antoine felt warmer thinking about her pretty face; he donned a weak smile looking at his reflection in the water. Oh he had wished Sally would have given him a chance, but as Rotor had put it when women did such things. He had been placed in the friend zone, and Sally would not consider anything past that with him. Antoine bent down and swished his hand through the water then sat. The thing was…Bunnie was the only thing he knew…

Anything with Sally was pushed out of his mind long ago when Sonic had hooked up with her. This was a habit he was going to have to break, but seeing Sonic be depressed lately had lifted his spirits. He knew it was bad to feel that way...

But he wanted to be a hero like Sonic…hoping that maybe one day he would be a great hero in his own right….

But Bunnie...

Antoine's smile died and his face became neutral. He was going to try and see what was going to happen with her. In the times of slow, their real selves had shown. Things had calmed down a bit over the years, and now he saw they never really had anything in common...

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><p>Bunnie and Antoine are dealing with problems in their relationship and Sonic his issues. Let's see how they progress.<p>


	3. Doldrums

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

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><p>The sun's rays shined over the Knothole this morning after a night of terror, the residents went back to their semi normal life. Gathering materials to make food and building supplies for their huts, they were getting worried now that the Legion had joined Eggman; they wouldn't be able to stay in the Knothole much longer because of his growing army. Eggman had known where they lived for a long time, but he hadn't been able to take them for only one reason; Sonic the Hedgehog.<p>

With a glum face he wandered around the village lost in thought about the turn of events that led him to be untrustworthy in the citizen's eyes and in his friend's eyes…

He didn't go home last night, and he was still a bit tired and a little bit hungry. He just made his way back to the Knothole this morning; he was heading towards the eastern exit of the village, catching the stares of a group of women out the corner of his eyes. They whispered to one another pretending to ignore him and Sonic sighed with a frown coming across his face. He wouldn't have guessed the citizens were talking behind his back if it wasn't confirmed by his friends in the passing weeks he'd been back…

He placed his hands behind his head as he walked past a few more huts nearing his destination. His feelings of depression the previous night had lessened a bit, and he did his best to shake off his negative feelings about life. Though, even as he made an effort to get back to being himself and moving forward he admitted he was not as optimistic as he used to be…

He knew he had changed this time…he couldn't go back to whom he'd used to be…

He walked past the remaining few huts and past one of the bridges nearing the tall grass fields. People still gave him funny looks; the antis had only been stopped a few weeks ago after he came back from space and the trust he built with everyone was gone again. Sonic understood with Scourge running around as him made people uneasy to see him; as Scourge could have done many horrible things while he was gone. But he was tired of struggling to build something only for it to get knocked down in front of him.

He didn't want to get back up…

Then Sally…

Sonic's frown deepened as he stepped into the tall grass and walked; lowering his hands from his head. Her almost marrying Patch was only another reason to doubt anything she said...

She said she wasn't thinking straight at the time because Scourge was running around as him and he ignored her; who she thought was him. And he sympathized with her about that, he totally understood with all that happened could make anyone act a little crazy. But he didn't know what to think about Sally anymore…

About her character or about…stuff...between them...

They were young...he was young…

He felt different about her now…and to be honest…he didn't want to be involved with anyone on that level anytime soon or really ever again…

It had drained him…sucked him dry…and all this time he'd been spending alone lately was actually making him feel better….

He was starting to really enjoy being with himself. And for Sally to be seduced into such a life-changing situation made him feel why should he bother anymore?

And she had asked him why…

And he told her…that was just how he was feeling at the moment…

Maybe he might change back to who he was before…he didn't know, and he didn't really care…

He had wandered slowly out of the village to where it was not in sight anymore in the open grassy area with tall grass, and he stopped walking. Suddenly just falling and plopping down into the tall grass. It cushioned his fall, and a warm breeze surrounded him on this warm sunny day; the warm air hitting his skin brought nostalgic memories of an easier time that did not exist anymore; the wind blowing through the nearby trees and the silence helped him clear his head.

He…he had cut it off with Sally…

And she was saying all these excuses he didn't want to hear. It hurt him to walk away from her pained face, but for the moment, he felt he needed to take a step back…

He sighed closing his eyes; he hadn't greeted any of the guys this morning. He'd just wandered out here. He was sure they'd be looking for him soon. Too many things were going on and the only way he was going to be able to deal with them was by tackling them one at a time. Sonic did not move from his spot though, deciding he would start sorting things out in a little while. He just didn't feel like talking to anyone right now…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Bunnie's hut, she and Antoine where at wits ends with each other again. Antoine had come over early this morning to discuss ways to make things work for them. They had decided that there had to be some reason they were together other than just being around when the time was convenient like when they first hooked up. Which they knew was the case but were reluctant to admit it because it was a sad truth. Antoine paced back and forth in front of Bunnie sitting on the edge of her bed.<p>

Although Bunnie had been upset with Antoine last night, she let the whole thing slide. They had been growing together, besides their disagreements on certain subjects; or so they claimed. Bunnie had been mostly quiet as Antoine paced her hut. He looked deep in thought and not that she didn't have anything to say, but she was lost in thought too.

Her mouth was twisted into a frown and her brows were narrowed in concentration. Her thoughts were currently of hesitation, why did Antoine and herself choose each other? She knew for sure many other women of the Knothole didn't give him the time of the day; even speaking to some of them before she got together with him. They had pretty much all said the same thing which was 'He is vain.'

Bunnie knew this as it was one of the things she disliked about him, but despite that she had let him into her life. Them being in the Freedom Fighters was part of it yes, they knew each other because they were on a team. But right now, she saw no attractive qualities in him. As when he wasn't being so proud, he still struggled to elicit any feelings from her in their present time together. Her feelings confused her as well, because their relationship was still young and even that was not the X factor to the core of their problems; when they kissed she felt nothing. As if for nothing else, for the sake of them not being alone, they tried to make it work because the passion wasn't there.

Antoine made one more trip to the other side of the room and finally stopped taking a seat next to her. Turning his head to look into her eyes, he kept a straight face. Bunnie gave him a sympathetic look as he spoke "You mean a lot to me Bunnie. You are zis special first to me and ones who are close must try to work things out."

"I'm so'ry about last night..." Bunnie blurted out with a hopeful face.

Antoine looked at the floor briefly in embarrassment "It is in the past...everything I have said I am putting in the past..." referring to her stint with Scourge "So I have come up with an idea." he said looking back up at her with a smile.

"What might thet be cherie?" Bunnie asked smiling amorously at his statement.

"I want you to move in with me. I want to be closer to you." Antoine said gently stroking her face.

Bunnie looked somewhat surprised at his request "But didn't yiah say we hav tah be...married? Yiah said it wasn't propa." Bunnie said blushing.

Even though her feelings weren't there yet she hoped they would come along. Marriage was a dream of hers; as it was supposed to represent that two people would be dedicated to each other. As far as she figured, if two people were dedicated to each other, it was basically an agreement to love one another forever; she hoped love would sprout from such an agreement.

Antoine's smile faded just a little "Yes but times are grim these days. I do not think its unconventional to make a few changes to tradition."

Bunnie felt her heart flutter at the prospect; hoping she was seeing Antoine open himself to change and hope their relationship would get better. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in response. He responded, and they stayed like that for a while. Bunnie broke the kiss and stared back into his eyes "I would lov thet. When do yiah think I can mov in?"

"We can do it tonight; I'll help you get your stuff." Antoine said holding onto her waist.

Bunnie leaned her head onto his shoulder "Does thet mean we're official knaa?"

Antoine's nervousness began to show again stumbling on his words "You don't need to tell everyone right away..." he chuckled weakly.

She remained quiet in his embrace; the morning sun bled into her hut warming them both. They could not tell what was on each other's minds the few minutes they sat in silence but they both had nagging feelings knowing they hadn't addressed their problems yet.

Then after some time Bunnie giggled and stood; a bright smile on her face "I feel like telling someone! I'm gonna go chat up with Sally, close my door when yiah leave." she paused looking at him "See yiah later honey... " her face was ecstatic as she blew a kiss at him exiting the hut.

Antoine's nervous face still pervaded, but he finished her gesture by catching the imaginary kiss. He leaned back on his hands for moment smiling; watching her walk away until she was out of sight. They both had just made a decision; one they had been talking about for a long time. They were communicating and making a conscious effort to make it work…he was comfortable with Bunnie not ever had being this close with someone...

His smile then faded...

He was afraid; he didn't like the change that came with moving on from Bunnie. Having to adapt to life all over again, he wasn't really looking for Bunnie to change or for any change. Their feelings were mutual to an extent...

He knew his feelings, and his attraction to Bunnie weren't as strong as he led on. That they weren't really there at all; attached to past moments of happiness were in the present; Bunnie wasn't doing it for him anymore; she never really did. Antoine stood from his rambling thoughts and exited her hut closing the door behind him. He had a confused look on his face as he made his way to the Freedoms Fighters hut to...just do something that would lead him into more positive thoughts when he would see Bunnie later this evening...

* * *

><p>Around noon, Antoine was well into a task that made him take stress off his mind. In the Freedom Fighters hut he sat at a workbench sharpening the blade of his sword with a grindstone. He barely paid any notice to the racket Rotor was making; hammering wielded metal. Antoine's mind unfortunately wandered back to his independence issue. It was no secret that many people found him to be annoying; he didn't for the life of him know why. Just because he felt proud about himself, people thought he was being a jerk. Antoine blew the excess dirt off his sword inspecting it.<p>

He did hold himself higher than others because he was of a Nobel family. His father had told him to be strong before he was taken away. Antoine placed his sword back on the table and began sharpening it again with his brows narrowed in concentration. He didn't remember much of his mother; he had fond memories of her though. As far as his family was concerned, he was to carry their lineage on, the last of his kind in a way.

By standing tall and being proud of oneself; he was told he would conquer anything that stood in his path. Antoine did not let that belief be threatened by anything; he vowed to never change it. He was so comfortable with Bunnie that he'd rather stick with luke warm feelings than to unknown ones out there in the cold world. The world would bite he knew. At least he had a little comfort in knowing that they were trying, hoping more powerful feelings would be elicited the longer they were together.

Antoine dusted his sword off again looking over it and looking more satisfied with it this time. He picked up a rag and a brown bottle of shine wax and wiped his sword down. He didn't have too much trouble making friends with people; he had even saved a few citizens who looked up to him just as much as other Freedom Fighters.

He spent more time with Bunnie than anyone. Speaking of which he realized that he didn't know much about the other person in the room, he had never spoke one on one with Rotor or any of the other Freedom Fighters; well he tried to talk with Sally but she never wanted to. He had talked less to his friends since he had been involved too. Looking over his shoulder he got the feeling Rotor didn't want to be disturbed while he was working so he sheathed his restored sword.

He watched Rotor consumed into his work as he was exiting the hut, but he stopped. He looked intently at Rotor guessing Rotor would see him looking. Rotor for the most part had saw Antoine but ignored him guessing he wanted attention or something. A frown came upon Antoine's face seeing that this type of attitude towards him persisted after all this time. Even after being with Bunnie...he did want if anything, he wanted that to change so he spoke up "Rotor?"

Rotor continued working while answering him "Yes Antoine?" he said slightly annoyed.

Antoine was off put by his response but continued; he straightened his collar "Would you mind if I ask you a question?"

Rotor sighed stopping what he was doing "About what?"

"A general question about life." Antoine said with a curious face.

Rotor raised an eyebrow, in what looked like suspicion but changed to surprise "Whats on your mind?"

Antoine looked for the right words "Do you think I've changed at all? Changed for the better?"

"Any particular reasons you wanna know?" Rotor asked with his confused face.

Antoine's voice lowered, and he looked at the floor briefly "I suppose it's just...I thought things would be different and others would not be so rude to me…."

"Why do you think that?" Rotor asked placing his hammer on the floor.

"Time has passed that's why. Things are supposed to fade in time." Antoine said looking up at him; strengthening his voice again.

"Well what have you done to change?" Rotor asked; his voice full of confusion.

Antoine looked confused too now "Nothing; I do not need to change anything. The reasons for the shortcomings I have caused in my life are in the past. Things will start to change wont they?"

"Are you really implying that everything you hope for will just fall out of the sky." Rotor said with a dry face.

"I am fine just the way I am; my negatives will fade...right?" Antoine asked him again.

"I don't think you understand Antoine." Rotor said picking up his hammer again and continuing his work.

"But you didn't answer my question." Antoine spoke looking upset.

Rotor continued banging away on the piece of steel that had been heated up "What? Do I think you've changed? No." Rotor stated simply.

Antoine's face became sour turning away from Rotor and storming out of the Freedom Fighters hut. He briefly glanced back at Rotor to see if he had even cared. Rotor paid him no attention; he looked as if Antoine wasn't even in the vicinity. Antoine stormed out of the Knothole not even giving passersby acknowledgment as he moved past them and into the surrounding forest and slammed his back against the nearest tree.

He was having a fine temper at the moment but to gain control his thoughts drifted back to Bunnie. He mustered a weak smile, when things got better between them things would change he knew for sure. Ignoring everything negative they both said to one another, pledging to leave the bad things in the past. They would grow; he would grow as a person. He ignored the bad things even though they were always staring him right in the face. Ignoring the bad things hopefully wouldn't just smack him right in the face; he wouldn't let himself believe otherwise.

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><p>It was still around noon when Bunnie had found Sally in the main square of the Knothole. Bunnie had spent some time looking for Sally as she had been elusive. Bunnie watched as Sally was directing some citizens when she made her way over and made herself known.<p>

"Sally!" Bunnie said approaching her; a big smile on her face.

Sally turned to the sound of her name being called "Hey Bunnie." Sally turned to look at her smiling.

Bunnie grabbed Sally's hands "I got som exciting news! Do yiah got time to talk?" Bunnie said smiling brightly.

Sally nodded "Sure, its slow today. Let's go sit in the square."

So Sally and Bunnie walked from the side of the Knothole where they were at and to the middle area of the village; only a few people were present today chatting around the area. Bunnie noticed that they sat not far from when she had her awkward conversation with Sonic the other day "So what's the exciting news?" Sally asked smiling because Bunnie was so bubbly at the moment.

"I'm movin in with Antoine!" Bunnie blurted out.

Sally blinked in surprise as joy came over her face "Congratulations! Does that mean you guys are official?"

Bunnie chuckled batting a hand at her with her smile "He's a lil shy to say so, but yes."

"So you're going to get hitched soon too huh?" Sally joked playfully patting her on the shoulder.

Bunnie blushed again "I would sure love thet...we're gonna see how livin goes first..."

"I'm sure you love birds will be together in no time." Sally said happily.

"We anit without our faults Sally girl." Bunnie said looking flattered.

"Who isn't, you'll work it out." Sally said encouragingly.

Bunnie smiled at the gesture of goodness then her face became neutral "Hows Sonic?"

Sally's smile faded as well "He's getting better..." her eyebrows became neutral and her mouth pinched together in a slight frown "He's been talking to me again but he's not out of this slump yet."

Sally then looked nowhere in particular after her statement. Bunnie frowned, after what Sonic had found out about her and Patch and Sally smacking Sonic in front of the whole village after he came back from space, he just wasn't himself anymore. Bunnie couldn't blame her for the way she acted either; she really had deep feelings for Sonic "I saw he and Tails are back at it." Bunnie spoke trying to break the silence.

"I guess...he still won't talk to me about the things that happened..." Sally sighed still looking away from Bunnie "I can't even get him to budge..." Sally said with a frown.

"Well it sounds like yeur making some progress. He was sounding mauch more...down yesterday. He must be rising out of it." Bunnie said looking hopeful again.

"It is to be expected I guess." Sally shrugged closing her eyes; she reopened her eyes and looked back at Bunnie looking a bit more hopeful; she smiled weakly "I'm going to prod him until he sees how much I lo..like him." Sally said blushing and throwing her hands over her mouth and her eyes widened in embarrassment.

Bunnie donned a gleeful face "I heard thet."

Sally tried to remain cool "I was thinking about something when I spoke..." she waved a hand dismissively at her.

Bunnie teased Sally for a few minutes when Sonic and Tails ran into the square. Sonic had a weak smile on his face as Tails told him he was going back to his hut to rest. Sonic watched him go not noticing Sally and Bunnie sitting in the square. He started to walk off in the opposite direction when Sally called his name "Sonic!"

Sonic heard his name being called and spotted who; Bunnie and Sally smiling at him. Sally waved at him to come over but Sally and Bunnie watched as what little smile on his face disappeared "Hey..." Sonic said waving at them as he walked away.

Bunnie and Sally were a little caught off guard by him just shutting down when he saw them, but it was obvious by his reaction he still needed time. Sally and Bunnie looked at each other worriedly; he used to be so forgiving.

* * *

><p>Sonic had made it to his mother's hut some time later and the sun was starting to set. A lot of people had headed inside, and it was quiet in the Knothole. Bernadette let him in with a stern face, and he walked in and sat on the makeshift couch; she closed the door and stood above him with an upset face.<p>

"You can't just run off like that." Bernadette said forcefully.

"..." Sonic remained quiet; his face neutral.

"I know that things don't look like they'll ever end, but they will." Bernadette said placing her hands on her hips.

"...Mom, we've got a mission...involving dad..." Sonic said staring at the floor.

Bernadette's anger faded instantly "You found him?" her voice trembled.

Sonic nodded quietly "I'll see if I can get to him this time..."

Bernadette's face remained neutral "You and your little friends are back together?" she asked questioningly.

"Were doing ok..." Sonic said still looking at the floor.

"...Go get some sleep honey...I'll make you breakfast in the morning." Bernadette said with a worried face.

Sonic stood quietly not looking at her and made his way to his room; Bernadette kept her eyes on him as he dragged his feet on the floor to his room "You'll fix all of it..." Bernadette said encouragingly.

Sonic stopped hearing her, he kept his back turned then he continued on to his room. Bernadette held her hands on her chest with a frown on her face; this divide between his friends was much deeper than any time before.

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><p>It was around midnight when Antoine had carried the last box of Bunnies things into his hut. Bunnie had been rearranging her things to fit in with Antoine's. Antoine sat the last box down and closed the door to his hut. He triumphantly put his fist at his waist nodding; walking over to his bed and falling face first onto it. He rolled over onto his back and watched Bunnie move her belongings around the hut "You should take a break. It's getting late." Antoine said in a happy tome.<p>

Bunnie currently held a few wrenches in her hands looking for a place to put them; she had a look of slight frustration "I need these tools sittin out if I need uhm. I'll lay down once I find a spot."

Antoine yawned; when Bunnie, seeking more ways to make things better between them decided to ask Antoine to help "What do yiah think?" she looked to him curiously.

Antoine leaned his head in his hand with a smirk "Where do you usually put them?"

Bunnie walked to the foot of the bed "Here." she said placing the various wrenches on the floor as her look of frustration faded..

"Good now come lie down. I know you are tired." Antoine said patting the bed.

Bunnie yawned lying down next to Antoine "I am a bit tired, but I could talk."

Antoine leaned over to his night stand and blew out the candle. The only visible light was the white shimmering light of the moon hitting the ground just outside their window "About what?" Antoine asked her.

"Well about us of course silly." Bunnie said in the darkness in a silly tone.

Antoine had rolled in Bunnies direction and yelped "That's cold!"

"Thets my bad arm." Bunnie said shifting.

Antoine found her organic hand and held it "Well; I never got to ask you about yourself before the Antis got me. What were you doing before you became a Freedom Fighter?"

Bunnie and Antoine were never super serious about their little flings before he was taken. They didn't spend much time with each other either; it was more on and off before they decided to get serious recently. But even though they decided to get serious, past problems had arisen. Before Bunnie found his arrogance to be tolerable, now it was unbearable…

Antoine and her were just floating around with each other for a time. So other than just flirting with each other because they were the only ones around, they never really got to know each other "I was jus livin...my parents passed during tha Great War when I was a lil thang. I lived with my uncle for a while but...somthangs happened, and I ran away..." she sighed "I was starten a farm before I was robotticized; Sonic and Rotor were the first I met after they saved me...I didn't hav any friends really...what did you do?" she shifted on her side in his direction sounding curious.

Antoine was glad it was dark, and she couldn't see his face because he now had a frown. Jealousy poured from him, but his voice remained calm "My family was high ranking, practically royalty, as we were part of the Royal military. You know my father was the top general. I was training to be part of the military and my father personally taught me how to sword fight because I had planned to enter the Royal military after my training was complete. In my free time I used to play with Sally, Rotor, and Sonic. Sonic would pick with me sometimes but Sally would usually defend me from him." Antoine fell silent not knowing what else to say. He didn't really do much before he met Bunnie; he had lived in an upper class lifestyle.

"Well...goodnight my dear..." Antoine said closing his eyes.

Bunnie closed hers as well in the darkness; they could not see each other's expressions "Goodnight..." she paused for a good moment "I love yiah..."

Antoine's eyes shot open at her words; he wasn't sure if they should be saying that so soon, but guessed it was part of that change he was desperately looking for "I...love you too..."

They both drifted off to sleep in no time. Shaking off the clumsiness of their conversation, they hoped they got better at it once time went on. They both also hoped that as time went on that their attraction would blossom because right now it was hard to say if there was any as they claimed there was.

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><p>Alright, Sonic is pushing himself to move forward and feel better while Antoine and Bunnie bath in delusions. This story is starting to feel a lot more comfortable in its progression.<p> 


	4. Jejune

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

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><p>As the rising sun beckoned another day Bunnie and Antoine quietly awoke from their sleep. Getting up and getting ready to go to the Freedom Fighters hut; they had a big mission today. Getting ready to do their morning rituals, they both forgot that they had both decided to live together just yesterday…that all the personal things they did, they would have to do in front of each other now…<p>

Bunnie and Antoine quickly looked at each other with embarrassment blinking their eyes. Bunnie's mind ran wild hoping that they had not made too much of a hasty decision.

But Antoine stood from the bed and piped up as his brows wrinkled in worry "I'll go to the bath house…to give you a little privacy…" Antoine was so embarrassed his eyes kept darting away from hers.

Although in Bunnie's mind, she wanted him to stay so the relationship she wanted could grow. So that they could get comfortable doing such things around each other. But her words came out different; she held a weak smile "…Ok…jus this once ok?"

Antoine nodded furiously, and she continued "We need ta do stuff tagether from now on…"

"Agreed, next time…" Antoine said nervously making his way out of the hut with things he needed to clean himself with.

Bunnie sighed with a frown on her face whispering to herself as the door closed _"…Next time…"_

Bunnie scooted to the foot of the bed where she had placed her tools the previous night. She didn't like starting the day off lying; she grabbed a wrench off the floor. Though she didn't like admitting it sometimes she would be willfully ignorant. Ignoring things she didn't want to see or hear; hoping that if it was out of sight, it was out of mind. Even to her own feelings and even she knew someday that would come back to bite her in the butt. It was most certainly a dangerous behavior.

She had lied to Antoine...she was more comfortable now that he wasn't here...

With what she was about to do she never felt comfortable with anyone around. She didn't want him to stay because she was truly embarrassed. Getting comfortable could wait because she felt she still needed to get to know Antoine more.

She saw that she had grabbed the wrong wrench, and she reached over onto the foot of the bed again. With a little rummaging she found what she was looking for. Then Bunnie let her robotic arm fall limp as she used the wrench she just grabbed and placed it at the base of her shoulder. The wrench clicked, and Bunnie pulled down on it a few times. Then her robotic arm separated from her, she attempted to catch it, but it slipped onto the bed and onto the floor; making a large sounding thud.

For a few moments she stared at her metallic arm on the floor. Her face became neutral as she turned her attention to her armless shoulder; she still felt a sense of loss over her missing body parts. She didn't feel anything even when her arm was attached, so with it off right now it made no difference.

She sighed, at least with it off it was more fitting because she hadn't felt her legs or her left arm in years. Bunnie quietly picked up her arm and placed it on her lap. She had got to know more about mechanical things, mainly because she had to. She removed the main plate to take a look inside her arm.

After a little inspection she found that the servos in her arm were still in good condition. But there were a few lose wires and bolts. She had noticed a few days ago one of her fingers on her arm were loose. So Bunnie reached under the bed and grabbed a black box. She placed it on the bed and out of it she pulled out electrical tape and even smaller wrenches and screwdrivers.

First, she used her good arm to snap off a few pieces of tape with her mouth and place tape over the loose wires. Then she used a small screwdriver to tighten up the casing of her arm. And finally, she used the smaller assorted wrenches to tighten the bolts that connected various thing's inside her arm.

While she tightened her arm she thought of Antoine's shyness; she kept her stoic expression. It was cute; heck any boy's shyness was cute to her. But like she had thought before, she felt she needed to get to know him better before they moved any further this time. When they got done with this mission today she was going to ask him some questions. What were his dreams? What was he planning to do? All the obvious things because up until now, she had ignored this; they had never talked about such things. It was another obvious misstep they had made but looking to fix.

Bunnie finished fixing her arm in no time with a stoic expression; she'd been doing it for a long time now. Once she was satisfied with her work, she placed her robotic arm back on her shoulder. It clicked, and she used the wrench off the floor to firmly reattach it. Once it was back on she squeezed her robotic hand seeing that everything was back in order. Then put everything back in its place, grabbing things she needed to clean herself, and headed to the bathhouse. She decided to check her legs on another day as they felt ok as far as she could tell. She was sure to run into Antoine there; she could probably tease him a little too.

* * *

><p>An hour later at the Freedom Fighters hut, Sonic was the only one present with his old brown backpack on. This particular hut was packed to the brim with various things they used on their missions into Robotropolis. Computers and other technology like circuit boards and mechanical parts they used around the Knothole. Tools and materials they used to protect and attack; stacks of intelligence papers.<p>

One area of the hut was specifically were Nicole made stuff from the future that she claimed she came from. On many occasions her little technological marvels had saved them so most of the time they were inclined to believe her story. There was also a round wooden table in the middle of the hut, were they planned out everything they did.

Sonic leaned his back against the wall near the entrance; staying neutral as he could. He was eager to hear what Nicole had planned; that and getting another shot at saving his father. It wasn't that he was heavily secured; he just never had time to save him while in Robotropolis; they had to stick to their plans; they were always moving his father around.

Sonic had got up early and given that he was the first one here, he felt that despite his recent gloomy mood, he was making conscious efforts to move on from the past. He briefly peeked out the hut to see if anyone was here yet; no luck. So he placed his back up against the wall again. He took a critical look at himself in the last few weeks he'd been back. So as of today he decided to drop all that hero non-sense, it had given him an overblown perspective of the world around him; there was nothing wrong with a little help. Sonic took a deep breath feeling a bit of shame in his past childish behavior. It was time to be more modest. He then crossed his arms and closed his eyes to wait. It was only a few minutes before Sally showed up.

She smiled and greeted him as she walked into the hut "Sonic? You're here early."

"I know first time, right?" he said with his eyes still closed; his face neutral.

Sally placed Nicole on the table in the middle of the room; Sonic's renewed enthusiasm made Sally a bit more at ease "That's good…because I was wondering if you would like to hang out after today's mission." Sally said with a smirk.

Sonic opened his eyes looking a tad cautious "Sure, we'll talk when we get back."

Sally did not question either; that was the answer she was looking for. She was happy that she might get some alone time with him "Alright mister, I have your word." Sally grinned.

Sonic nodded quietly just as Tails, Amy, and Rotor entered the hut; Rotor carried in many blueprints "Hey Sonic!" Tails said excitedly running up to him.

Sonic uncrossed his arms "Hey little buddy, you ready to kick some butt today?" he said with a weak smile.

But Tails didn't notice "Yeah! I think I'm old enough to help you guys out now!" he said enthusiastically.

Amy greeted Sonic with a hug, and Rotor greeted Sally with a nod "Hey guys." he said placing the many blueprint papers on the table in the middle of the room "Excuse me Nicole." he said picking up a paper that had fallen on her.

"You are excused." Nicole responded.

"Are those the layouts of Robotropolis?" Sonic said sounding interested, moving to the table; Amy followed.

"Yep!" Tails said following Sonic and grabbing a particular blueprint and spreading it on the table "This is the latest layout of Robotropolis, Rotor and I transcribed this with Nicole just the other day." he said with a smile.

Sally picked up Nicole as everyone leaned over the table "Whoa; I recognize that place." Sonic said pointing to a section on the blueprints "Nice job Tails." Sonic said giving him a reassuring grin.

Tails smiled brightly, and Rotor spoke with a smirk "Work is a little bit easier with Tail's help."

"What is that circle for?" Sally asked pointing at the blueprint's with a curious look.

"If we transcribed it right, that's a new area that Eggman gave the Dark Legion. Recent intelligence tells us that there are more and more legionnaires going into Robotropolis as of late." Tails said donning a serious tone.

Rotor rubbed his chin with a frown "There's no doubt their reason for teaming up with Eggman, there a technocratic government. With Eggman robotticizing everyone he can, it would be easier for them to spread their influence across Mobious. Combined with their interest in technology, I'm not surprised they haven't done it sooner."

"If Eggman can robotticize everyone then the Legion can move in; we've seen what they can do with their technology already. They already have implanted tech in themselves. I'm not so surprised they created something to jam the robotticized citizen's bodies. They've been implanting themselves for hundreds of years. You know they probably have been controlling their own for some time now." Sally said placing Nicole on the table as her brows narrowed and she donned a serious face.

"Were sitting ducks right now…" Amy said as her lips pinched into a frown.

Everyone silently nodded in agreement, and Sally spoke again "Nicole has a plan. That's why these next couple of missions will be so important and dangerous. We need a new place to live and thanks to Nicole we have an option, but she needs our help." Sally said with a serious face as she looked at everyone; they all held serious faces as well.

"If we stay in the Knothole much longer Eggman, and The Dark Legion will most definitely attack." Rotor said seriously.

"Eggman will still try to turn us into robots; doesn't that mean we'd be legionized?" Tails said with a curious face.

Tails's question made everyone frown "For sure." Sonic said with a frown.

"We can discuss Nicole's plan as soon as everyone is present…" Sally said a bit annoyed as she looked to the entrance of the hut "Where are Bunnie and Antoine?"

Rotor shrugged and Sonic spoke "What do you think?" he asked Sally sarcastically.

Sally playfully responded "I'm sure they are getting more acquainted now that they're back together."

Tails was slightly confused about what they were talking about and seeing they had used slightly inappropriate language around Tails, Sonic tickled him and he couldn't escape electing laughter from Sally, Amy, and Rotor. They all hoped what they were seeing was the return of the Sonic they knew. Though they did not know he had not returned to his old ways; he was just more somber now. But soon Bunnie and Antoine walked into the Freedom Fighters Hut with goofy faces.

"We were just talking about you two; we're about to discuss our next trip into Robotropolis." Sally said looking serious again.

Bunnie and Antoine grinned as everyone greeted them. They joined everyone around the table but as Sally talked a bit more about the blueprints in front of them. Bunnie briefly glanced at Sonic seeing he didn't look as down as he had been looking these last few days. Sally's words were drowned out by her own inner turmoil; she hoped her parading around with Antoine in front of him did not add to his distrust of her after Scourge. It was such a smack in the face to carry on like nothing ever happened; for everything that had happened; and everyone played along too. After he saved her from being robotticized and everyone turning on him. Sally slapping him…

She only hoped…because seeing that he might make a return to himself felt she no longer needed to worry about him. Right now she only cared about making things right with Antoine, so she would never have to be alone again. After things were just right with Antoine her life would improve…she was sure it would….

Sonic…he would be fine…

Bunnie snapped back to reality blinking her eyes hearing Sally in full focus again "So after we get those parts we'll rendezvous back were we started."

Sally said with a stern face as Nicole spoke in her hand "These parts will be used to create a machine to create nanites." Nicole spoke as Sally held her up so everyone could hear her.

"What are these robots going to do?" Tails asked Nicole curiously.

Everyone listened closely as Nicole spoke "These microscopic robots can restructure themselves into various forms with my input, making them extremely useful. I would not use this technology under any circumstance as I am not supposed to, but if I do not use it we will not make it." Nicole paused and everyone silently nodded; it was obvious that Eggman would destroy them if they did not find a new home soon "So because of our current situation, and so I can continue to help you, I will use the nanites to help us in our current predicament." Nicole spoke aloud.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Antoine asked in a skeptical tone raising an eyebrow.

"I cannot process individual's thoughts. The nanites can transmute into many forms with a high rate of density. My point being...I can form them into the structure for a city…" Nicole stated.

Everyone's skepticism was washed off their faces with the prospect of having a new home to protect them. Nicole went on to explain more about what the nanites could do for them before they began to get ready. Tonight they would make their first trip into Robotropolis, to take one step towards their new goal. Their new home, a whole city, which they already dubbed…New Mobotropolis...

* * *

><p>Later that evening as the sun set and darkness covered the sky, the Freedom Fighters set out on their first mission. Not before informing the people of the Knothole of their plans; to which they were cheered on as they left. They still did not let Tails go into Robotropolis, fearing his safety, but now he was helping them. Rotor and he monitored their communications back at the Knothole. Rotor and Tails made sure Nicole's communication channel with them was encrypted while in the city. And Amy understood for the sake of the first mission that she needed to stay behind. They needed to keep it small so Eggman wouldn't notice, though it didn't make her feel any better. Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine made their way to the outskirts of Robotropolis in forty minutes; stopping and hiding just behind a few boulders obscuring them from view near the city.<p>

They all gathered around Sally with serious expressions; Sally held Nicole up so they could listen "There are five crucial parts I need to create a machine to create nanites. The rest we already have at the Knothole."

"Are there any hard to get parts?" Sonic asked her curiously.

"There is a part just in the middle of Robotropolis; it is the farthest from where we currently are." Nicole responded.

"Then that's the one we'll go after first." Sonic looked to them all.

"Get the hard one out of the way first, good idea Sonic. We'll take Nicole and go find that one first. Bunnie and Antoine you go to the scrap yard and find the micro motors." Sally commanded them with a serious face.

The pair nodded with their brows narrowed in serious expressions "Got it!" they said simultaneously.

"Once we've got the part we'll meet you at the scrap yard, then Sonic will go get Jules if we have time. Then Bunnie, Antoine, and I will find more things we could use. Don't take too long Sonic." Sally said in a stern tone.

"Actually, I could use some help; you don't mind do you Bunnie?" Sonic inquired curiously at Bunnie.

Antoine, Bunnie, and Sally where stunned blinking their widened eyes. Sonic asking for help? He really had changed; Bunnie nodded as their expressions became serious again "Sho nuf, I got yiah back."

"Cool, I'm ready then." he said seriously as everyone stood.

Giving each other silent nods, staring into each other's eyes, putting their differences aside while they were here. They hoped no one got hurt while they were behind enemy lines. They all knew Bunnie was in the most serious danger with the Legion here. Sonic scooped Sally up into his arms, and they dashed from behind the rocks, from the left, and into Robotropolis. Bunnie and Antoine moved in the opposite direction to the right. Bunnie led because she saw that Antoine was already becoming increasingly nervous; he always did when they came here. Bunnie and Antoine moved a little further and hid behind a giant metal pole.

At this point they were in Robotropolis because the ground was made of metal; just a few feet behind the ground was earth. Bunnie peeked her head around the giant pole taking in her surroundings. In the distance, was a huge control tower that loomed over the entire city; Eggman's control center. There were tall metal buildings and so many factory buildings made of metal she couldn't count. Dim orange tinted lights illuminated the city, hanging from sides of buildings; pole lights were lined up and down the metal streets, and anywhere lights could possibly hang. Luckily for them Eggman did have to go to sleep; Robotnik never did. Then her eyes spotted their destination just a few factory buildings over. She could see two large yellow search lights hanging just over the scrap yard. There were no Swatbots or Legionnaires in her sight so she signaled Antoine to follow. He did and Bunnie made sure to walk lightly; her feet made a lot of noise on the metal ground.

They moved past the few factory buildings effortlessly and soon had made their way near the entrance of the scrap yard. Their backs were pressed firmly against the tall walls that engulfed the area. Bunnie was becoming more nervous now herself; it was a little too quiet for her own comfort. She glanced over at Antoine who was keeping his eyes peeled. She turned her head back around as they reached the end of the wall they were standing next to. She quickly noticed two Legionnaires; they were exiting the scrap yard.

She watched them intently getting ready to move again when Antoine tapped her shoulder, _"Swatbots at ten o clock."_ he said picking up a nearby rock and chucking it near the two robots.

_"What are yiah doing! Wait a sec…"_ Bunnie said slightly panicked as her eyes widened; whispering and her eyes widened in shock.

He grabbed her hand as he watched the Swatbots go towards the sound. She quickly turned back to check on the Legionnaires; to her relief they were gone. Antoine then pulled her and they moved past the wall and out of the sight of the Swatbots. Bunnie did halt him as they were out of their line of sight. She quickly looked around as he did; there was no one in the scrap yard area. But as they began running into the area, Bunnies eyes caught sight of a camera turning towards her and Antoine just as they entered the scrap yard. Adrenaline ran through her body hoping no one had just saw them. They quickly jogged behind a huge pile of scrap.

All around them were towering piles of scrap electronics, mechanical things, and assorted metal. Antoine let go of her hand "Not bad eh?" he said with a smug face.

Bunnie had a halfhearted smile. He was lucky Eggman had such little activity at night; they would have run straight into those Legionnaires "Not bad, but next time let me know what yeur plannen. Things could go bad quick here." she said sympathetically.

Antoine was pleased by her praise "Right!" he smiled brightly "Now let's find zis mic…ro…parts..." he mispronounced.

Bunnie and Antoine quickly started digging into the pile of scrap in front of them making sure to discard what they found quietly. They had luck finding one micro motor inside the head of a dismantled Swatbot, but as they searched the other scrap piles they had no luck. They were frustrated by the time Sonic and Sally had showed up and scared them. Coming up behind them and making them trip over themselves.

Antoine had yelped in a somewhat loud fashion, and Bunnie's heart stopped for a moment "Y'all almost made me jump out of my fur." Bunnie said with a sympathetic face; picking herself off the ground.

"You should give a better warning next time!" Antoine said glaring at Sonic.

Sonic placed Sally down and shrugged, not really caring "Let's go Bunnie."

Sally handed Nicole to Sonic "We found the part; Nicole made us a really nice distraction so we could sneak in. But I think the alert level may have risen; how about you two?" Sally asked Antoine with a curious face.

Antoine spoke proudly "We have secured a part, but we haven't found any more." he said tossing it to Sonic who put it into his back pack.

"Where is it at?" Bunnie asked Sonic. He pointed just behind her; she turned to see a medium sized factory like building near where they were.

The building had many glass windows; it didn't look as secure as other places. Bunnie nodded donning a serious look as Sonic began jogging towards the exit of the junkyard. Bunnie followed and Sally spoke after them with a frown "Antoine and I will see if we can find any more parts, so be at the rendezvous on time. Hurry, I'm starting my watch now. You have five minutes." Sally said as she began helping Antoine who was already searching again.

Bunnie and Sonic hastily made their way out of the scrap yard, keeping themselves hidden from cameras, and moving swiftly to the factory like building next to the scrap yard. Hiding behind two large rubber tires right on the corner of the building. There were no cameras but unfortunately the entrance was being guarded by two Swatbots.

Sonic frowned "ETA Nicole." he held her up.

"Four minutes and twenty seconds." Nicole responded.

Bunnie peeked her head from behind Sonic _"We gotta get moving."_

Sonic sighed placing Nicole in his brown back pack _"Let's do this."_

_"Right behind yiah."_ Bunnie said with a determined face.

Sonic jumped out first getting the Swatbots attention, charging towards them as they shot lasers at him. Bunnie then jumped out and charged at them just as Sonic attacked one swatbot curling into a spindash and loping off its head.

As Bunnie neared the other Swatbot, it turned its attention to her, and its red eyes quickly shot out a red scan over her body. Bunnie and Sonic instantly had a bad feeling.

"Robotics detected." the Swatbot said as it raised one of its arms and instead of firing lasers; it carefully aimed at Bunnie, getting ready to fire a jamming device; the very same used by the Legionnaires.

Bunnie's body was betrayed by her thoughts; she froze up as the Swatbot readied to fire. Sonic moved quickly from where he was and shoved the Swatbot before it could, and it fired straight into the air. Then the Swatbot backhanded Sonic knocking him a few feet away. Seeing Sonic hurt made Bunnie un-freeze, taking the opening the Swatbot had left its self in after attacking Sonic. She closed the remaining distance and punched its leg with a slightly angered face. Breaking the Swatbots leg, it fell to the ground with its shattered leg and tried to aim at her again. But before it could do anything else Bunnie's foot came crashing down onto its face.

The look of anger on her face subsided as the Swatbot shut down. Sonic got off the ground, and he came back over. Before they could run inside the jamming device that it had fired, fell to the ground near them.

They both stared at it for a moment before narrowing their brows with serious faces, and Bunnie picked it up and handed it to Sonic "Maybe we should keep thass one." she said seriously.

Sonic nodded quietly, tossing it into his backpack as they ran straight into the building. There were no lights and only the faint glow of the moon that bled through the cracks of the old roof. To their shock, there were many robotticized Mobians laying on hundreds of operating tables and next to them were operating trays; on them were unfamiliar looking parts.

Sonic frowned as they walked looking around himself _"ETA Nicole."_ he whispered down at Nicole.

"Three minutes and thirty seconds remaining Sonic." Nicole responded.

_"Where is my father Nicole?"_ Sonic asked Nicole as Bunnie, and he continued walking through the creepy building.

"I have traced Jules to this area, and I am creating a reticle for you to follow." Nicole said as an arrow popped up on her screen.

Sonic sped up his pace and so did Bunnie as she looked around horrified _"We can't save uhm all…I wonda what they're plannen here?"_

_"Those are implants on those trays…Sally and I just saw something like that a minute ago."_ Sonic said in a focused tone as he looked around.

_"They'are going to legionize…"_ Bunnie said with an upset face.

_"I don't want to know what other craziness Eggman has going on around here…."_ Sonic said in a low tone as his focused eyes scanned the area.

Bunnie remained in her thoughts for a few moments, thinking of the horrors orchestrated by Eggman in the buildings around them when Sonic suddenly stopped, _"Nice work Nicole."_ he said with a smirk quickly moving to his father's side.

All the people in here were restrained by metal clamps on their wrist and ankles _"Let me tak care of thet."_ Bunnie said pulling off each clamp one by one, each one pulled off making a sound of bending metal.

_"I'm glad you came along."_ Sonic said still looking over his father.

Bunnie was about to smile, but Sonic remained neutral and focused on his father. It was still too soon to expect him to be back to normal _"No problem sugah hog…"_ Bunnie responded with a slight frown.

Jules was offline so Sonic opened a flap on the back of his head and plugged Nicole into him "Decrypting…." Nicole stated.

Bunnie and Sonic waited impatiently as Nicole attempted to restore Jules's free will, not by simply overwriting Eggman's programming, but replacing it. They both knew they were running out of time, but Nicole finished in a timely fashion; successful no less. Jules's body sprang to life. Completely confused as he awoke his red eye lenses lit up. He sat up as Sonic disconnected from him.

There was a long pause before he spoke "….Sonic? What's going on?"

_"No time to chat Mr. Hedgehog, we gotta keep moven."_ Bunnie said helping him up as her serious face returned.

_"Can you walk?"_ Bunnie asked him with a frown.

"I believe so…since the last time I can remember…" he said unsure, though he could walk; he took a few steps to make sure.

_"Nicole ETA."_ Sonic asked Nicole as they began jogging back to the entrance.

"One minute." Nicole responded.

Sonic gritted his teeth; missing the rendezvous put Sally and Antoine in danger. But Jules was keeping up with them so they carried on racing back to the entrance. When they reached the entrance, to their right, they were greeted by the unpleasant sight of a few Swatbots, a few Legionnaires, and Lien-Da; the newest grand Master from their intelligence. They were just down the way and had not seen them yet. The trio quickly went back and hid behind the two big tires near the corner of the building. Sonic and Bunnie had no idea why Lien-Da was out strolling in the night, but they could not be spotted by her. They were running out of time too, a quick look at Nicole's screen revealed that they had just seconds left.

Sonic sweated along with Bunnie; they looked at each other for ideas but came up with none. So Sonic peeked out of cover to see where they were going. They were still headed in their direction, but they entered a nearby building instead; now out of sight.

_"Let's go."_ Sonic said without another word.

Bunnie nodded and so did Jules as they ran from their hiding spot and towards the direction of the scrap yard. They made their way off of the metal ground of Robotropolis and onto regular ground, dirt and all. Their rendezvous with Sally and Antoine was a little off, but they were waiting not too far away from where they entered Robotropolis. Together they all traveled back to the Knothole in the night; feeling a sense of victory because their first mission towards a new home was successful with only a few bumps along the way.

* * *

><p>A few hours later back at the Knothole, instead of celebrating like they had planned everyone headed off to bed. Tomorrow would be time for that as they were tired after their tension filled mission. Bunnie and Antoine retired to their bed and laid on their backs; candlelight illuminated their room. They both stared at the ceiling not just ready yet to go to bed. Bunnie wasn't sure what he was thinking, but her mind was on their relationship. Antoine and she had got along real well this morning; she had teased him at the bathhouse, and they flirted. It was an overall good time, but now it was time to get to know him more. She never got the chance before he was kidnapped because their relationship was more on and off in the past. They were seriously making an attempt to be serious about it this time.<p>

She wondered how great things would go for them once things slowed down, then they could really see each other for how they really were. Not just moments of temporary happiness, like when they fooled around or said sweet words to each other. She wanted to see his real self, his ideas, and his plans. To see if he was down for her…

She spoke breaking the silence "What do yiah see yeur-self doing in a few years?" she spoke with a smile.

He immediately answered with a dreamy look on his face "I hope to be a high ranking military official, a symbol for the people." he smiled almost as if he were daydreaming "A hero if you will."

Bunnie hoped they weren't treading that territory again; jealousy was not his strong point. That or she didn't know him like she thought she did "Well wat about me?" she smiled turning onto her side towards him.

"I was thinking…" he turned on his side towards her; smiling as well "We are living together prematurely…I must make it proper. Would you think of marriage?" he said looking suave raising an eyebrow.

Bunnie burst into a bigger smile "Of course!" she said wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug "Of course! Of course, I want to get married!" she said excitedly releasing him.

Antoine grinned "It is nothing my sweet; I want nothing but to be closer to you."

"Well thet's jus great news!" Bunnie was genial…she sure did look delighted, but she didn't feel the strong emotion of love she kept claiming from his proposals.

She was waiting, but she still didn't feel anything. She stared deeply into his eyes, and she felt an empty void within herself. The same void that had been with her before she even met Antoine…was it just infatuation?

"When do yiah think we can get married?" Bunnie said laying on her back again with her big smile.

"As soon as possible, there is no need to be separate anymore." Antoine said lying on his back again with a smug look.

"I hope tah start anotha farm one day; Robotnik completely wrecked mine. Jus sittin on the porch and listenen to tha crickets at night…" she reminisced with a smile.

"I want to become a general just like my father always wanted me to be. As a high ranking officer my prestige will be restored, and people will respect me; everyone must show me some sign of respect. I'll be up with zis greats…I would finally be on equal footing…" Antoine said aloud, daydreaming still.

Bunnie's lips then curled down looking slightly worried "But yiah would be very busy…"

"I will always make time for you." Antoine said with confidence.

And they fell silent again; Bunnie retreated into her own thoughts again. It was bad enough that she felt nothing but now his plans were conflicting. He couldn't possibly think that he would be able to run a military and be by her side like she wanted him to…with him at her side she would be happy…

So their love would blossom…

She yawned and so did he, fully lying down; he turned on his side and blew out the candle next to their bed "Goodnight." he said yawning again.

"Night." she said, but she didn't close her eyes just yet.

Her eyes remained wide and she felt an uneasiness bubble in her stomach in the dark. There was now a hard realization that there were many differences starting to show up between them. Unsettled ones and fundamental ones that she just did not agree with; it was making her rethink her recent thoughts. Antoine was still stubborn, and he still would not admit his jealously of Sonic and his overblown pride. Her physical attraction for him had been gone for a while now. She just wanted to rekindle the feelings, that high feeling she had when they first started.

But she was starting to see that his goals were radically different from hers. She already lost the attraction, and she did not like the lifestyle that he was considering. She even still didn't exactly know what she wanted to do with her own life, but she didn't like the sound of having the military a part of it. Then in a moment of zen a thought of full understanding hit her…she was changing…

Her ideals had changed and still were changing, and his were not matching with hers anymore. She was starting to think that her feelings for Antoine were fleeting because whatever she had felt, had long since simmered down. That or they had never matched in the first place….

* * *

><p>Story is progressing nicely, Sonic is grappling with his depression and Bunnie continues to see changes in her life and the Freedom Fighters are looking for a new home. I comfortable with how this chapter was written, so lets us hope I can keep this smooth progression.<p>


	5. Helix

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

* * *

><p>It was another day in the Knothole when Bunnie became aware that she was awake. As her senses came back online, she could hear the bustle of people outside her hut. Her eyes caught sight of the grayness outside of the window; it was definitely going to rain today. She yawned and turned on her side towards Antoine. Quickly, she had forgotten yet again, that Antoine was now living with her. She smiled slightly; she had never lived with anyone since her uncle. They had more differences than she was willing to admit; and they were starting to show last night. Then her smile turned into a frown, now all they had to do was balance out their differences. Bunnie continued looking at his sleeping face, acknowledging to herself that they were different. Now it was time to start doing things together; she had a few things in mind too.<p>

Bunnie got up and sat on the edge of their bed, running her organic hand through her hair. It was starting to get long again; she sighed. She only cut her hair for combat reasons. Along with whatever they were doing today she was going to have to stop and cut it again. Bunnie's expression became dazed as past memories rushed into her mind. She had opened a hair salon in the Knothole when she first met the guys, needless to say it wasn't very successful. Though she took the failure in stride, it still bummed her out sometimes. It was a brief dream but one she still longed for. One she knew she might not have time for when she, and Antoine got closer….

She stared out of the window of their hut in deep thought and with a blank expression. Staring up into the dark-gray clouds in the sky, feeling the cool breeze of air enter the cracks of their hut. She still liked working with hair, and she hoped one day she might return to it. She felt envy when she thought of how beautiful her hair might look if she ever grew it out. Still, she knew with the time she was spending to get her relationship to work, she might forget about her dreams…

Determination built up inside of her when she thought of the life she could have, full of love and happiness with Antoine….

….To fill this void of emptiness she currently felt…

Bunnie broke away from her thoughts with hopefulness that it would be a fine day as she stood from her bed. But something was horribly wrong…Bunnie stumbled towards her window sill feeling an overwhelming queasiness come over her body…

She felt horribly sick in an instant. She gripped the window seal trying to stand but quickly fell to her knees. Her eyes drooped lazily feeling as if she had to throw up then Antoine called her. He yawned "Good morning."

Then suddenly Bunnie felt normal again. She rose to her feet and quizzically looked behind herself at Antoine. She paused looking confused; she wasn't sure what just happened but decided to ignore it for now; Dr. Quack would know what was wrong with her. She was obviously coming down with something….though how bad or what it was, was yet to be determined…it couldn't have been good….

"Mornen!" she said in a jovial tone instantly smiling at him "Are yiah ready ta stick it to Eggman again?"

Antoine sat up and got off their bed "Absolutely; we should get cleaned up right away. Sally said we need to get planning for our next mission later today."

Bunnie was hesitant after her strange little episode but decided not to tell Antoine since she was still feeling ok; she kept her smile "Yeah, let's do thet. But before we head ova thare, how's about we do a lil work out? Take a jog? A few laps around tha Knothole always makes me feel betta."

Antoine walked over to a small chest and opened it; pulling off his shirt. He then looked out the window behind her "It's starting to rain." Bunnie looked back outside; he was right "Even if we ran and did not get mud everywhere, we would be sweaty and tired. I don't want to clean myself just to get dirty again." he said putting on a new shirt.

Bunnie frowned a bit; she knew Antoine was a neat freak, but she liked working out. But for the sake of her love she knew compromise was needed "Well do yiah have anythang in mind?" she asked sitting opposite of him on the bed and reaching over for her tools.

The sound of wrenches tinkering filled Antoine's ears as he spoke; his back still turned "I'd like to go see the current commanding officer induct the new color guards. The color guards are the most elite soldiers there are as of now; it is of the highest prestige." Antoine stood from the floor adjusting his new clean clothing.

Bunnie was honest with herself; she did not care. She'd rather just be alone with him or hang around the guys than do military things. Admittedly there alone time wasn't exciting anymore; but she smiled "Thet sounds ok…"

"Plus its inside Castle Acorn, we won't get muddy, and we'll be warm." Antoine turned and walk over to her side of the bed.

He watched Bunnie as she messed around the inside of her right leg; the plating of her leg lay on the floor next to her. Gears, steel poles, and electrical wiring all made Bunnie feel self-conscious and exposed. Antoine and she remained quiet….they needed to get used to seeing each other personally…

"….I might be here a little longer; I'll catch up with yiah. We'll eat and go to the castle." Bunnie said looking to him with a weak smile; though it was really hard to look him in the eyes right now.

Antoine's nervousness was written all over his face "Alright…" Antoine bent down and kissed her on the cheek "You are beautiful…" he stared deeply into her eyes; grabbing ahold of her organic hand.

Bunnie smiled brightly at his gesture and placed her wrench down. She pulled him closer and kissed him on the lips "Thank yiah…" she said as she released him.

"Don't take too long." Antoine said with a gentle smile as he left the hut.

Bunnie's smile faltered as he left, letting his sweet nothings wash over her. She didn't feel any strong emotion…she didn't feel any love…

After her experience with Scourge she'd been doing her best to keep a clear head when it came to her emotions. She never again would try and use someone like she did, using who she thought was Sonic to make Antoine jealous; her behavior still embarrassed herself. Antoine's true colors were disguised by endless streams of kisses and compliments. Bunnie turned her attention back to her exposed leg with her brows knotting in frustration on her face. It hadn't happened yet but sooner or later a critical moment would happen between them; then she could see his true colors. See who he really was…to see if he was down…

Bunnie's frown turned into a neutral face as she worked on her leg. It was just like Sonic said a few days ago. When things slow down, the real things come out. In the worst times, and in times of slow, you could see everything and you couldn't hide. Their intentions would be revealed to one another. Bunnie just hoped that Sonic would get better in time. She truly did not mean to hurt him...

Especially after she jumped right into a relationship in front of him, with the person she had used him to get...

* * *

><p>Over at the lunch house many residents of the Knothole were enjoying a quick breakfast. Before it started pouring down, most wanted to be indoors as the grey skies clearly indicated rain. The lunch house was an open area with a large extended roof; big enough to seat most people in makeshift tables and chairs. Antoine was in line to get breakfast with thoughts of grandeur on his mind. With a plastic tray in his hand, he took a step forward as someone exited the line with their food. Which was mostly vegetables and fruits; it was hard to produce different types of food with Eggman on their backs all the time.<p>

Antoine yawned, still feeling a bit drowsy; his expression blank. He took a glance over his shoulder at the farthest end of the lunch house. All the guys were sitting together; even Sonic. He stepped forward in line again, wondering how Sonic had been faring. As far as he could tell, he still seemed depressed. But yet and still from the residents of the Knothole that he had run into, though they were still wary of Sonic, they still respected him and expected him to keep fighting Eggman like he was.

Finally, Antoine moved forward and started picking his food. The people's attitude towards Sonic infuriated him. That they still respected him even though they were scared of him. After the Mecha Sonic incident he was sure he would finally see Sonic's respect destroyed. Even though it was partially his fault Sonic was captured by Nack. He had left his post at the jailhouse which allowed Nack to escape. Antoine remembered the day clearly in his head; he was busy planning his coronation party at the time; he was so caught up with it that he'd forgotten about Nack.

Antoine exited the food line and began walking to the back of the lunch house; a slight frown came over his face. Antoine would not lie; he was happy about everyone distrusting Sonic. He thought Sonic was getting a taste of his own medicine; he hated how he picked with him over the years. But after he proved himself innocent and continued doing the right thing….he even saved him from the Anti's…

Antoine was nearing the table when his core problem entered his mind…he was still jealous of Sonic…

Of his heroics, about how he is really the only one who can keep Eggman at bay, and so many more other things. He was still jealous and envious even as Sonic continued to help him to this day just as he helped everyone. And that's what bothered him the most…he had no skills to compete with Sonic…

Practically Sonic had super powers…his speed was so versatile…powerful in a way…

He on the other hand was normal…and it made him jealous…

Antoine greeted the guys a good morning as he sat down at the table with them; Sally sat to his left. But he did have one thing Sonic didn't; Bunnie. It made him feel good about himself just because he was with someone, even if his infatuation with her was gone. That was at least something he didn't have; a somewhat stable relationship. Antoine began eating his food; listening to the conversation going on around the table.

Sally was having a back and forth with Nicole "So if you have more nanites you can transmute them into harder and denser objects?" Sally asked curiously.

"Yes Sally. Although this goes against my programming, it is possible that I might have to use reinforcement technique's from where I am from." Nicole said just a few inches away from Sally on the table.

"So just how would you go about doing that?" Rotor asked her looking suspicious.

"Sally has informed me of the slang; slick. And you are not. Those are restricted files Rotor." Nicole stated.

Rotor reached over and tapped on her screen with his claw "Aw come on Nicole, just tell me a little about the future."

To which Nicole promptly answered "No."

Rotor sighed, and everyone around the table chuckled "There will be plenty of time to interrogate Nicole once we are safer. We'll start discussing tonight's plans this after noon, so everybody don't be late." Sally said sternly.

She got a brief response from everyone in the form of a yes or a grumble in the case of Sonic. Sally had been tired of the depressing Sonic that sat next to her. She wanted to get him back to what she, and others considered normal for him. She missed his upbeat attitude. There was a little more small talk between Tails and Sonic while everyone ate; Sonic had agreed to teach him to fight. But minutes later Bunnie showed up just as everyone had just about finished their food. At this point Sally had found a good enough excuse to excuse Sonic and herself "Sonic?" she said looking to him with a smile.

He had been daydreaming, not really paying attention; he looked to her blinking his eyes with a curious face "Huh?"

"Could I talk to you?" she said grabbing Nicole and standing from her seat.

"Yeah…sure…" he said standing as well; his face neutral.

Sally handed Nicole to Tails "Would you watch Nicole? Make sure Rotor doesn't get her secrets." Sally joked.

Tails smiled brightly and took her; he held her up to his face speaking to Nicole "Don't worry Nicole; Rotor won't be able to find us."

"I trust your judgment." Nicole said in her always neutral tone.

"Well I have other questions…" Rotor said as his brows narrowed in annoyance.

Tails got up from his seat "You won't trick me!" he giggled running away from the table.

Rotor got up and followed "I'll let you use the blow torch all day!" he said playing along.

Amy, who had been quiet the whole breakfast finally spoke up and stood from her seat. She looked a bit irritated at Sally "If you need me I'll be at the gym in the castle." she held a pouty face at Sally "See you guys later…" she said in a grumpy tone as she marched off.

All four knew Amy still had a huge crush on Sonic, so they ignored it for now. She was still pretty upset about not being able to go on their last mission too.

"We meet up past noon Bunnie, don't be late." Sally said with a smile.

"We'll be thear." Bunnie said as she started eating; Antoine nodded with his mouth full of food.

With all obstacles out of Sally's way she went along with her plan "Let's go Sonic." she said walking off.

""Mmmmph…" Sonic mumbled as he followed.

It left Antoine and Bunnie alone for the remainder of breakfast. The air was getting cooler, and the gray clouds were still rolling in. It would start raining soon, and it all made the day a little darker. They ate mostly in silence before they headed off to the castle. Which is something they both considered normal for a relationship; there would be times when they didn't talk. But when it got so quiet it felt a bit strange they felt uncomfortable. But again, they thought it was just part of being in a new relationship; guessing they would get more comfortable in each other's presence alone in time. They sure hoped so…

* * *

><p>Sonic and Sally had made their way out of the Knothole to the Freedom Fighters HQ; it was very close to the Knothole. It used to be an old cavern, but it had been renovated for their uses. It had been destroyed by Eggman once in the past but after having fixed it up again they were using it more often again. Their old hut were they planned their missions was starting to be used less and less since their HQ was back in business. The whole base consisted of a common room, bunks, a lab, and a kitchen. Sonic and Sally entered the Freedom Fighters HQ and sat on a couch in the common room.<p>

Sally figured she could be all alone with Sonic here today. With them being all alone she had Sonic's undivided attention already "So…" she started with a sympathetic smile.

Sonic crossed his arms; his face was neutral "What did you want to talk about?" the tone of his voice was normal.

Sally smirked; as if he didn't know "I wanted to spend some time with you, don't you remember what I said yesterday."

Sonic quickly remembered his agreement before their mission "Oh yeah..." he uncrossed his arms "What do you want to do?" it was obvious that he didn't want to talk about things.

And it was to Sally, but she pushed forward "First let's get…us…out the way…" Sally said as her smile disappeared; she felt quite nervous to be honest. Along with the way she broke up with him in front of the whole village; Mina was something else that was probably still on his mind.

Sonic frowned "Sally…" he said with a sigh.

She frowned as well; the memories of their rocky past entered her mind as she spoke "I miss you…" she said in a low breath.

Sonic spoke with a pained face "I'm not ready…"

Sally nodded "That's fine Sonic, there's no need to rush." Sonic looked a bit relived before she spoke again "Just let me know, right now, that we can try again someday." Sally said with a pleading face.

"But...I..." Sonic's words were caught in his throat; he looked uncertain.

But Sally continued to plead "Please Sonic…" her voice always seduced him; however, this time it was different.

Sonic couldn't be swayed by her words this time. He hadn't spoken about his problems to anyone since he came back. He felt bad about what went down with Mina too. He acted poorly and because of it, Mina was hurt. When he came back from space and saw her and Ash, he felt sad for multiple reasons. One being was how Mina moved on, and that every time he ran into her there was always unspoken words between them.

Sally grabbed a hold of Sonic's hand, and he remained quiet. Sally stared deep into his eyes as she waited for him to respond. Then he thought of how she slapped him. The embarrassment shook him that day; and still did now. The shame he felt rocked him to the core and after that his current pessimistic self was born. He never felt the same after that day; it was a true traumatic experience. Some days he felt that people were still laughing behind his back although he had never seen it; it always felt so. As he stared into her eyes he felt a bit queasy, the memory was just as fresh as the day it happened…

Sonic felt another wave of depression hit him as he removed her hand from his "No…I can't Sally…" his face distressed.

Sally was slightly shocked, but again she understood "Don't give up Sonic…we need you…I need you…"

Sonic tore his eyes away from her; he couldn't look her straight in the face. Sally frowned, something wasn't right. He was always able to bounce back "Sonic? You want to talk about it?"

Sonic kept his eyes away from her, but he was tempted to "Nah..." he swallowed a lump in his throat "I'd rather not…"

Sally looked worried; that use to always work. So she let him be "Ok Sonic…" she respected his space by not throwing her arms around him. Something was seriously wrong this time, but hoped with a little more coercing should could pull him back from the depths "Don't leave us Sonic…"

Sonic closed his eyes and sighed again, when he reopened them he looked back to her with a sad face. Thinking of the only response he could muster "I'll do my best…"

They weren't the words Sally wanted to hear, but a least he was trying to get through whatever was happening to him "…Good…" she said with less enthusiasm; standing from the couch "I got a recipe book from my mother, let's go see if we can cook something." she said doing her best to lighten the mood; she smiled slightly.

Sonic stood and followed her to the kitchen; his face neutral again "I could go for a snack." he said still sounding down.

Sally kept her smile, although she couldn't make a clear distinction on his intentions. Whether he was feeling better by what he said wasn't really a clear indicator anymore. He seemed to be right in-between healing from whatever mental anguish he was experiencing; no more and no less. Though he gave her a bit of hope that he would be the old Sonic again as they began gathering ingredient's for cooking. She was at least sure he hadn't hit the bottom.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Castle Acorn Bunnie and Antoine sat high atop one of the few grandstands inside the castles largest open area, similar to a gym. Although it was a multipurpose area mainly used by their military, there were many people in attendance; mostly official's occupied the gym area. The military soldiers stood in their nicest outfits in the middle of the area separated into four large groups. The general stood at a podium in the middle of the room, spitting out orders to the soldiers who moved at his command. The few military ceremonies that Antoine had brought Bunnie to had remained the same. These ceremonies were deafly quiet; for some sort of respect that had to do with hardships of war. Bunnie didn't entertain the idea that there was a respect for war; she hated war.<p>

Two grandstands sat next to each other on both sides of the large area. Bunnie and Antoine were at the highest seats near the doors. As the military pageantry went on Antoine was totally engrossed; sitting on the edge of his seat. Bunnie on the other hand looked around herself disinterested, noticing how she was the only one who wasn't wearing anything fancy; just her usual pink leotard. Just a row below them a few females wore strikingly similar clothing to the soldiers performing below.

She didn't have any fancy military attire or any fancy attire at all, and she wasn't planning on getting any either. The drums and horns echoed through the area and Bunnie hated to admit it, but she did this for the sake of Antoine; she didn't like this. The whole thing was boring to her, despite being in actual battle all the time; she didn't agree with the morbid respect of hurting others for some collective cause. Killing for someone else's cause...

With Eggman being the exception of course because they were defending themselves, and she understood that part of the reason for a military. Yet at the same time the military was just as ruthless and cold with their own dirty secrets. The symbolism they stood for meant nothing to her. Yet another thing she and Antoine disagreed on…

Then the general asked everyone in the audience to stand. Antoine and she stood as everyone did. Though she wanted to leave, she kept a neutral expression not wanting to upset Antoine. Bunnie looked down onto the main floor as five soldiers marched into the room. Two soldiers were on each side of the soldier in the middle carrying multi colored flags of blue, red, yellow, and green. The soldier in the middle carried a reddish brown flag with the Acorn Royal symbol; as they marched straight to the general's podium.

Antoine then leaned over and whispered into her ear with a big smile "The color guard is the best honor you could receive. They carry the symbol of their units and representing the Kingdom of Acorn."

Bunnie mustered up a fake smile, silently nodding to him not only because she did not care. But because the second Antoine started speaking the overwhelming sickness she had felt this morning had washed over her again. As she and Antoine turned their attention back to the soldiers she gagged….

No one noticed though; too busy with the festivities below. She felt nauseated, feeling as if she had to throw up again, she struggled to keep standing grabbing ahold of a chair in front of her to keep her balance. Try as she might she let her head dip slightly, hoping to keep her breakfast down…

But Antoine who stood right next to her was totally oblivious, daydreaming about being a color guard. As he watched atop the grandstand, as a color guard spun his flag, he saw himself in the soldiers place. His eyes became dazed as his imagination ran wild wondering what it would feel like to have all eyes on him. To know that everyone around him respected him for fighting and protecting this great kingdom.

Bunnie on the other hand felt like dropping to her knees, when just as fast as it came, it was gone. Bunnie lifted her head in confusion as she felt better again. She glanced at Antoine out of the corner of her eyes with a confused look; after tonight's mission she had to find out what was going on with her; now she knew something was wrong. Bunnie was caught off guard as everyone around her started clapping; she heard the general speaking and joined. She hadn't even heard the general over the PA that echoed through this large area.

Antoine looked to her with a smile, and she weakly smiled at him; they both turned their attention back to the soldiers below. Her smile was enough for Antoine not to notice again, but now she was feeling stressed. Little worries had been littered all through her life lately and her memory was lapsing. Forgetting small things were becoming increasingly stressful, as even if they weren't super important, they still were important. Like this morning, she needed to replace a special gear inside her leg. She remembered having the gear in her hand, but after that she drew a blank...

Little things like this began to worry her; the gear was important for her leg to work its best. She was just somewhere else lately in her mind…

Bunnie continued to clap, lost in her thoughts as this new worry was added to her list. This sickness she was experiencing was another worry that needed to be dealt with. Along with her relationship, she wasn't sure if condoning a marriage over all their sweet talk was such a good idea anymore. Not when they had core values and beliefs that they disagreed on. Speaking of which, after the ceremony was done they were going to talk to a judge. They were going to get their marriage papers together while they were here at the castle. Bunnie couldn't wait to leave this ceremony; she felt she was starting to come down with something again….

* * *

><p>Hours later at the Freedom Fighters hut in the Knothole, the whole team had gathered and were ready for their next trip into Robotropolis. It was starting to get dark, and it had continued drizzling as at had all day. By this time Bunnie had informed everyone that she felt she was coming down with a cold; it showed on her features that she wasn't looking to well. Though she downplayed the seriousness of how bad it had felt throughout the day. She assured everyone that she was well enough to get through tonight's mission; despite feeling worse by the minute.<p>

This time Sally decided to stay behind, they still had to be a small group when they went there to get parts. Before they left Amy had declared that Sonic was her partner and Sonic was well enough to engage her and everybody hoped that they saw another glimpse of the Sonic they knew. So after going over their plans twice, Amy, Sonic, Antoine, and Bunnie headed off to Robotropolis. Citizens of the Knothole greeted them farewell on all of their missions and cheered them on as they left.

It was a longer trek than usual because of the rain, as they would stumble through the slippery mud. By the time they reached the metal city it was completely dark, and the rain was getting heavier. There was no one in immediate sight as they reached the threshold of the city so they hid behind the same boulders on their last trip here.

Sonic wiped the water off of his face as he silently got everyone's attention "We got low visibility tonight; we can slip out of here fast. You guys take Nicole." Sonic pulled her out of his back pack and handed her to Antoine "We won't be far from the scrap yard you're going to, so if something goes down we got your back." Sonic said with a serious face.

"How long do yiah think it'll take…" Bunnie said in an upset voice; the tone coming from her sickness.

The trio noticed that she didn't sound or look any better since they left; Amy narrowed her eyes skeptically "Are you sure you're ok Bunnie? We could…" but Bunnie cut Amy off.

"I got it…" Bunnie coughed "…lets jus hurry up and get out of here…" Bunnie said clearing her throat.

"You need to rest." Antoine said looking worriedly at her "We will be ready Sonic." Antoine said in a determined voice.

Sonic and Amy nodded with serious looks, not wasting any more time, taking off from behind the boulders and running to nearby steel mill factory buildings. Before running off Amy pulled her Piko hammer from a strap on her back; she never told anyone where she got it from.

Bunnie and Antoine did the same, going in the opposite direction from behind the rocks again. As their feet connected with the metal ground again, they snuck around as best they could in the orange glowing industrial city. Doing their best to avoid the cameras, the Swatbots, and the Legionnaires. Nicole instructed them to go past the scrap yard they had been at the last time they were here to a back area of the city, where huge metal silos stood next to each other. Behind the silos were metal trash bins with many discarded electronics.

They kept their backs pressed against each wall they encountered until they reached the trash bins. This area didn't have many lights, but luckily they had Nicole. Antoine noticed that Bunnie had been quiet and saw through the darkness; she looked horrible.

"Ziss will not take long." he said with a determined face as he ran over to the trash bins and held Nicole up to scan them.

Bunnie did her best to stand; she felt like falling off her feet right now; her brows were knotted together in a frown "I'll keep a watch out…" she said sounding awful.

Antoine focused on finding the parts they needed as Bunnie worried how much longer she could stay on her feet. Now she felt coming here was a bad idea, ever since they came back from the castle this sickness had been bothering her. She could feel another wave coming too…she just hoped…

Then a loud sound startled her; it was so loud it even echoed. She quickly turned to the source of the sound. Antoine looked sheepishly at her and picked up an object out of a pile that had fallen.

Bunnie couldn't even muster the strength to chastise him with a slightly irritated look "…we need tah be quiet…" but her words died in her mouth as more queasiness took over her.

She stood in her spot, trying to fight the urge to regurgitate; this sickness was still here. It was just as bad as this morning, and it was so bad she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She stood there for quite some time as Antoine and Nicole searched for parts. But her mind was such a daze it took her a moment to register when a Swatbot had come into sight; and that it was staring right at her. Her vision was starting to become blurry as it approached.

It held up its arm to fire at her when it scanned her "Robotics detected!" it said as it raised its other arm to fire a jamming device at her.

The sickness had not completely overtaken her, and she jumped out of the way of the jamming device; it missed. Antoine quickly noticed and pulled out his sword; placing Nicole into his pocket. Bunnie had hit the ground, but she found she didn't have the strength to get up. The Swatbot walked over to her and picked her up by her throat; holding her in midair.

Antoine ran over to them, and the Swatbot didn't have time to react as Antoine swung his sword. It connected with the arm that held Bunnie, but it didn't cut through. The Swatbot readied to swing its other arm at Antoine, but he was able to pull his sword out. Dodging its swipe at him and Antoine was able to get behind it and plunge his sword into the back of its leg joint. As it lost its balance, it lost its hold on Bunnie. Bunnie fell to the ground and temporarily made no movement.

"Bunnie!" Antoine yelled to her with a horrified face.

But Bunnie was able to pull herself to her feet; she growled in anguish as she moved her body to the head of the Swatbot on the ground. Antoine watched on in temporary relief as Bunnie raised her arm to smash its head. But her eyes widened in shock and Antoine looked on in horror.

Bunnie suddenly felt the sickness completely take over her. She felt like blowing chunks and now it felt like the nerves of her robotic limbs were on fire. She groaned in agony clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. Her robotic fist came down on the Swatbots red eyes along with her entire body.

Antoine ran over to help her; noticing that she had only cracked its red eyes. But Antoine gasped in shock when it grabbed ahold of his leg; it violently shoved Bunnie off of himself. It got ready to grab ahold of him with his other arm, when Antoine, with a distressed face took his sword and jammed it into its red eye sockets. The Swatbot released Antoine as it twitched; electricity buzzed loudly. Antoine quickly pulled his sword out of the Swatbot and stepped away. It wasn't moving so Antoine took his chance and ran over to Bunnie who had rolled over on her side. Antoine was scared, and his face showed it as his brows wrinkled in worry.

He flipped her over; her eyes were closed but she was breathing. He didn't have time to speak to her as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Also the Swatbot they had attacked wasn't dead. It slowly sat up and looked directly at Antoine who froze in fear. But then it looked in another direction; he at least blinded it. He didn't have time to try and lift Bunnie, so he grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her out of plain sight as the blinded Swatbot started crawling around.

He was able to get them out of sight just as two more Swatbots entered the area. They took notice of the damaged Swatbot and instantly began searching around. Antoine's heart pumped in fear as he heard the Swatbots nearing. There was no real place to run; he held his sword steady and swallowed a lump of fear as he waited. Unfortunately, it didn't take long as one of the Swatbots neared were he and Bunnie had hidden. It walked around the corner and spotted him; raising his arm to fire and Antoine attacked.

He swung his sword throwing its arm off aim, then shoved it. It stumbled as the second Swatbot ran to the noise and fired at him; the lasers nicked his shoulder and his leg. But Antoine ran forward and was successful in slicing the wrist off. But the Swatbot Swatted him, and he went flying into a trash bin. His sword flew out of his hand, and before he could stand it hit him again; a punch that knocked him off of his feet. Antoine groaned in pain, watching as the merciless Swatbots were about to attack him again when a hole burst into one of the Swatbots stomachs. It fell to the ground, and the second Swatbot turned to have its face smashed in by Amy's Piko hammer.

Antoine looked up at Sonic standing in front of him with a serious face; Antoine got off the ground "We gotta go." Sonic said looking paranoid.

Antoine then ran over and picked up his sword; he also patted his pocket to check on Nicole. He pulled her out with a frown on his face "Are you ok Nicole?"

"All functions are working correctly." she said simply.

Antoine nodded and walked back over to Sonic and handed her back to him and he put her back in his backpack "What happened?" Antoine asked with a serious face; Amy smashed the head of the blinded Swatbot behind them.

"Some alert went off; there are Legionnaires and Swatbots swarming everywhere. We gotta get out of here." Sonic said with a frown. Before he could ask Antoine what happened three more Swatbots came running from behind them and fired lasers. Amy, Antoine, and Sonic ran behind the silo where Bunnie laid.

Amy was the first to notice "What happened to Bunnie!" Amy said with a distressed face.

Yet again their conversation was cut short as just a few silos down Legionnaires came running towards them. They quickly pointed their guns and began firing at them. Some were even bold enough to come rushing straight at them. Amy and Antoine attacked them while Sonic tried to wake Bunnie up "Bunnie get up! Get up!" he yelled shaking her.

But from Bunnies perspective everything was wavy, her vision was blurry and her hearing was dampened. She weakly looked up at Sonic not able to make out his words _"Get up…get up…"_

But as she tried to move, she barely pushed up off the ground and she collapsed; her eyes closed. He checked to see that she was still breathing...she was...

Sonic frowned in the midst of the chaos, and without another word bent down and picked her up. He stumbled a bit as he rose to his feet. Antoine and Amy had fought off the Legionnaires that tried to jump them; retreating back next to Sonic. Sonic groaned "Geez Bunnie is heavy." he said grunting.

"What are we going to do Sonic?" Amy asked him; doing her best to avoid getting hit by the gunfire.

"We're leaving, both of you grab on to my neck." he said trying to hold Bunnie with a frown.

They did not protest either with the situation they had gotten themselves into. Amy put her Piko hammer back on the strap on her back and Antoine sheathed his sword. They both slinked an arm around Sonic's neck. Sonic then took a few steps adjusting to all the weight and took off. He gagged as Amy and Antoine held onto him tightly; he didn't want them falling off. It was perfect timing too as the Swatbots and Legionnaires had been closing in on them. Sonic dashed past all of them before they could react, he moved so fast that every single one of their shots missed. Antoine and Amy held on for dear life as the metal city was a blur in their eyes. Then before they knew it they glanced behind themselves at such fast speeds, Robotropolis began disappearing in the distance.

"Sonic!" Antoine yelled to him.

"Yeah?" Sonic responded with a groan.

"We are heavy! Should we stop!" he yelled over the rushing wind.

"We can't! We gotta get Bunnie home!" he yelled back.

Antoine remained quiet after his reply; he didn't want to put such a heavy burden on Sonic carrying them all the way home. Despite their disagreements, he agreed that they needed to get home as their number one priority. Their mission had went terribly wrong...

* * *

><p>Bunnie didn't know what was going on around her as all she could remember was the faint sound of voices around her screaming and her being moved around. Upset voices…of Sonic…and Sally…<p>

Her vision was still blurry; the sight of Dr. Quack and Rotor is what she remembered the most. That and the sound of her breathing and her heartbeat, cause after she collapsed in Robotropolis everything felt like a dream. Her eyes slightly opened again…their voices were muffled to her…seeing vague images of people standing over her…

_"She's stabilizing…but this won't last…"_

_"We have to do something!" _

_"…."_

_"How about Nate, I'm sure he could help."_

_"Well that's all fine and dandy, but we have to do this right away, Nate would have to be here by morning…."_

_"…."_

_"But I want to go…"_

_"….."_

_"I'll get him here….."_

Was the last thing Bunnie remembered as her eyes shut because of the horrible way she felt, she wasn't sure if she was alive or dead….

* * *

><p>Something is horribly wrong with Bunnie and more problems pop up in her relationship with Antoine. Meanwhile Sonic is continuing to face his depression and he and Sally are still rocky. This is getting good isn't it?<p>


	6. Undertow

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

Thanks for reading and reviewing all, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>In a sudden jolt Bunnie's eyes shot open, feeling the coldness of the table she was laying on. Bright lights were all pointed in her direction, and she found that she was still very weak; as she struggled to lean up. The nerves of her robotic limbs that were attached to her body still felt like they were on fire and her shoulder, and her legs had a burning sensation; making it even more painful to move. Once she sat up she quickly realized where she was; in the Freedom Fighters HQ lab. There were monitors, computers, and other beeping equipment around her, though she was not hooked up to anything.<p>

She raised an eyebrow in curiosity seeing that no one was currently in the room, and she tried to recall what'd happened. She felt horribly sick right now and all she could vaguely remember was being in Robotropolis. Not when she passed out, or how long she'd been out. She felt so weak right now she just wanted to lie down and not move, but she had to know what was going on, she was so confused. From the way she currently felt she knew she couldn't walk so she looked around to see if anyone was nearby. She saw from the main room that sunlight was pouring into the windows onto the floor; at least she knew it was morning. She moved herself so her legs hung over the side of the operating table.

She cleared her throat and weakly called out as she donned a slightly worried face _"Hello? Is anybody here?"_

Bunnie remained still, waiting and listening to the quiet HQ. It remained quiet, and she shifted slightly on the table; the sound echoed in this quiet area. Her skepticism about being left alone was erased as moments later she heard footsteps pouring in from her left; knowing the guys must have slept here last night in the bunks.

Sally was first into the lab looking pleasantly surprised "Bunnie you're awake!" Sally ran over to her and hugged her.

Bunnie chuckled weakly _"…Yeah…i'm not feelen so good though…."_

As Sally released her the rest of the guys entered the room. Antoine was first by her side, and the guys greeted her jovially; even Sonic who still looked depressed. Bunnie felt energized by the social interaction from her friends but when Dr. Quack and Nate Morgan stepped into the room she quickly felt something was wrong.

She held a confused face wondering why Nate was here; she hadn't seen him in a long while_ "Nate? What are yiah dooin here?"_ Bunnie stated with confusion.

Everyone moved aside so Dr. Quack and Nate Morgan could get closer to her "Well your friends said you needed some help, so I decided to drop by." he chuckled.

This caused Bunnie to frown; Nate was a genius. If they needed his help then... _"What's goin on?"_ she asked again.

This time Dr. Quack spoke and the Freedom Fighters remained quiet with looks of unease "Joking aside; we don't have a lot of time. Last night with Nate's help we were able to stabilize you and also figure out what was going on with you." he said with a serious face.

"…" Bunnie remained quiet as she narrowed her eyes awaiting the response which she knew would be bad.

Nate's face became neutral "Your condition or sickness that you are currently experiencing is life threatening. I arrived a few hours ago, and we have discovered that your current limbs are no longer in balance with your nervous system." Nate said as calmly as he could.

Bunnie didn't know what that meant, and she was afraid to ask; her face became engulfed in worry _"I don't undastand…"_ she said as she felt herself becoming woozy again.

"Well you can feel it can't you? Your limbs are inflamed, that is just one side effect of your body rejecting your current limbs." Nate said adjusting his glasses.

Bunnie frowned, and Antoine squeezed her organic hand _"Yeah…yeur right…"_ she said weakly; everything on her hurt right now.

"They cannot stay. Something has to be done right away." Dr. Quack said crossing his arms.

Bunnie closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, causing everyone around her to feel her sadness. Everyone frowned, and Bunnie thought of the things she knew would come to fruition one day….

She tried to go on with her day to day life hoping nothing would come of it. But she knew one day she would have to face to reality of her robotticization. That one day it might actually kill her; totally out of her control. She'd had nightmares of something like this happening with her limbs…

Bunnie sighed opening her eyes with her brows knotting into a frown _"Is thare anythang thet can be don?"_

"You have a few options luckily. You can have your limbs disconnected, and it would stop your nervous system from shutting down." Dr. Quack said with a frown.

Antoine raised an eyebrow in confusion "And?" he asked curiously.

Dr. Quack looked skeptically at Antoine "It's just what I said, her limbs would be disconnected. You would be fitted with limbs to help you move around; that's all we can do for option one."

Bunnie quickly shook her head. She already felt abnormal with robotic limbs. She didn't want to be completely limbless, _"Somethang else…" _she said worriedly.

Dr. Quack nodded seriously, "De-robotticization, but as you know that is risky."

"It'd be at the risk of your life." Nate said adjusting his walking cane.

That was an option she didn't want to consider; their attempts with it in the past had always gone wrong _"I'll take my chances with somethang else."_

"Well you've only got one last option. With Nate's help we can upgrade your parts to cybernetics; only this would mean you might not ever be able to be de-robotticized. You need to make your mind up quick Bunnie; you were in critical condition when Nate arrived. We must act soon." Dr. Quack said with a serious face.

Bunnie looked at all the faces staring at her with uncertainty _"I need a moment…" _she said blinking her eyes as her head lowered.

"You and Antoine talk it over; we'll be waiting…" Sally said as everyone headed into the main room closing doors behind themselves.

Once the doors were shut Bunnie, and Antoine looked at one another. But Bunnie noticed that other than concern on his face, there was irritation. She knew him well enough to know that his upset face wasn't just about her; he was upset about something else _"…Wats wrong?"_ she asked weakly.

Antoine looked surprised as he darted his eyes and tried to hide his distress "…It is nothing…I am just worried about you…"

Bunnie frowned knowing he was lying so instead she dropped it; she wasn't in the mood anyway _"So wat do yiah think? Wats tha best course of action here?"_

Antoine looked thoughtfully back at here "I think it is obvious, if you get zis upgrade you solve two things at once."

And she agreed to an extent; it would save her life, and she could at least have limbs _"But I might not be able to evva get de-_ _robotticized again..."_

"It is the only way…" Antoine said frowning; more concerned about her not dying.

Bunnies head dipped, she knew it and could not argue. She lifted her head back up and mustered a smile _"It's settled then. New limbs for me!"_

Antoine smirked and cupped her face. They kissed only for a brief moment before she groaned in pain; their kiss broke abruptly "Let's get this ova with…" she said with a weak smile.

"Of course." Antoine chuckled as he re-opened the doors to the lab.

Everyone was quick to re-enter the lab and hear her announce that she had chosen option three. Everyone was relieved to hear she chose the option that would save her life. And since she had chosen cybernetics, Dr. Quack and Nate needed all the guys help to gather the materials needed. So they greeted Sally and Bunnie a brief farewell as they left the Freedom Fighters HQ. At the same time Bunnie had been quietly observing Antoine, and his irritation had returned to his face. That and if she wasn't mistaken, was directed at Sonic yet again…

Bunnie frowned as they left and was quick to begin questioning Sally about what had happened _"Wat is wrong with Antoine?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion._

Sally hopped up onto the medical table sitting right next to Bunnie "He and Sonic had a disagreement last night while you were out." she said with a sympathetic face.

Bunnie coughed into her hand; clearing her throat still looking confused_ "Wat in tha world were they arguing bout?"_

Sally looked at her sympathetically "Antoine just cares about you. He wanted to go with Sonic to find Nate but Sonic might have pushed his buttons when he said he'd slow him down. He was really upset about not being able to help."

Bunnie nodded as her lips pinched together into a sarcastic expression _"He's jus a big sweetie aint he?"_

Sally giggled "He's such a romantic." she joked sarcastically back at her.

But Bunnie knew better; it was Antoine's jealousy coming out again, and she had a feeling she'd be dealing with it soon. Then Sally's tone and face became serious "What happened in Robotropolis Bunnie? We shouldn't have let you go on that mission."

Bunnie shrugged slightly wincing in pain and with a confused face _"Heck if I know, whatevva this is jus started yestaday. I was feelin sick throughout tha day…"_

"Do you remember anything? We didn't get any salvage for Nicole." Sally said seriously.

Bunnie paused trying to recall her last thoughts at the time_ "Antoine wasn't being the stealthiest, and we might've alertad the Swatbots…"_ Bunnie looked curiously at Sally _"How did thay get me back here?"_

"Sonic carried you back." Sally stated simply "He said you all got pinned down and…you were barely moving…" Sally said moving her hair out of her eyes "When you guys got back we brought you to the HQ and tried to figure out a course of action. You couldn't speak to us…" Sally said with a worried face "I thought we were going to lose you…"

Her sympathy warmed her heart _"How did Nate com into tha picture?"_ Bunnie smiled weakly.

"Well Dr. Quack and Rotor suggested him after a few minutes of unsuccessful attempts to stabilize you. You weren't doing too well." Sally said with an encouraging smile.

_"I don't feel too well…"_ Bunnie said coughing a bit.

Sally nodded "We got in contact with him but there was a problem; he was far away."

_"Even with Sonic? How far was he thet it was a problem for Sonic?"_ Bunnie asked her skeptically.

"A half way around Mobious problem." Sally said seriously.

Bunnie looked floored, her eyes slightly widened, and her jaw became slack; now she knew why Antoine was upset _"How long did it tak him?"_

"Only a few hours luckily, they arrived around three a.m. and not a minute sooner." Sally said looking a little happier.

Bunnie remained quiet; her face became neutral; Sonic had saved her again….

_"We took a step back haven't we?"_ Bunnie asked now looking saddened.

"In getting a new home maybe, but it wouldn't be much of a home without everyone present." Sally said gently patting her on her shoulder.

Bunnie smiled _"I'm glad I hav yiah guys…"_

As those words left Bunnies mouth she thought of the great lengths Sonic went through to save her. Realizing that if not for him she would surely be dead in the ground right now; for no one could have done what he did last night. This act shifted her focus onto him; especially since she had been ignoring him as of late. Not since she'd first met him had he captivated her interest like he was again right now. He affected her life like no one could, and as she stared at her best friend she suddenly felt different. She felt humbled after hearing what he'd done for her after her behavior, using Scourge, who looked like him at the time, to make Antoine jealous. This experience made her feel change within herself…

Now she was curious how these new limbs could benefit her,_ "Did they say anythang about tha upgrade?"_ Bunnie asked smiling weakly.

Sally grinned at her "As a matter of fact they did. Nate said it would make things…slimmer…"

Bunnie's mouth curled up into a bigger smile at the news; that was sounding like something she could get into. Her clunky old limbs she currently had, had never been fashionable. Sonic was to thank and with the news of new limbs now exciting her Sally and Bunnie chatted as they waited for the guys to return. With Bunnie feeling thrown off balance in more ways than one…

* * *

><p>It wasn't too long before the Freedom Fighters had gathered all the needed materials for Bunnie's upgrade. The operation was performed solely by Nate; Bunnie was put under beforehand. It was a lengthy procedure that took all day but once completed, Bunnie's old limbs were in the trash and her new slim arms and legs were on her. Nate did not allow anyone in while he was operating so the guys had gone off to do other things during the day. She was awake now and Bunnie had wished that they could see her right now. She had a look of hesitation and excitement written all over her smiling face. Right now, Nate was working on her arm, her left arm. It was extended, and they had been testing her new limbs for a few hours now. Nate had a wielding gun in his hand, and he applied the gun to her extended arm.<p>

Sparks popped out as he spoke "I think we're done this time. Go ahead and try it out." he said as her arm retracted.

Bunnie sat up from the table and moved her metallic fingers. She smiled as they moved at her every whim. She moved her arm back and forth as well; it worked just fine too. Nate stepped aside as she hopped off the table; her legs already worked. She grinned widely because first she felt completely better, she had made a full recovery after her old limbs were off.; there was no sickness or anything of the like. Second she loved how the new slim limbs looked "Everythang feels fine, and it looks way betta!" she stated happily "Are yiah sure this won't happen again with this new stuff?"

"One hundred percent certain. If you give me a few minutes I can explain a few technical details about them." Nate said with a smile.

"Look, as long as it works I don't care. I can get used to this." Bunnie said as she looked over herself; enjoying the look of the new slimness.

Nate chuckled "Well, I'm glad you think so. Your abilities have not changed; you still have boosters for flight, your arm cannon, your strength, and force field generator with one exception." he added.

"An wats thet? Bunnie asked happily.

"Do you remember the scrambling device you salvaged from Robotropolis?" Nate asked placing the welding torch down and grabbing his walking cane.

Bunnie nodded "Yiah used it?" she asked confused.

"I did. These scrambling devices seem to be able to pass through your force field. So now it is integrated into your cybernetics as a deterrent. It should offer you some protection against the scrambling devices the Legion uses." Nate said in a serious tone.

"Only som?" Bunnie asked raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It's never been tested obviously; it should counteract the frequency of the devices if you should be hit by one again." Nate said placing both of his hands on his walking cane.

Bunnie frowned at the thought as her lips pinched together "They did catch me off guard; twice now."

"Well it seems everything is settled, before you go off. I should let you know this redesign should make flying even easier. The sleek design will make aerobatics a cake walk compared to your old limbs." Nate said adjusting his glasses.

Bunnie smiled brightly "Thanks for everything Nate!" she said as she ran past him and to the exit of the HQ.

Nate laughed calling out to her "Don't thank me; thank Sonic for getting me here."

Bunnie hesitated momentarily as she glanced back at Nate and smiled at him before she ran out the doors of the HQ and took off into flight. It was a bit cloudy out but the sun was bright and warm. As the ground disappeared she noticed her new slimness made maneuvering a lot easier. She also was flying a lot faster with less weight. As she flew over the Knothole Sonic crossed her mind; he'd saved her life again. She felt confused and conflicted about how thankless she'd been acting towards Sonic lately, especially after her poor behavior towards him. If anything these last few days were an indication he was making an attempt to move forward. She felt gratitude after he'd saved her from the cold grip of death twice now and hoped to repair the trust she had lost with him. For now anyway she was just going to enjoy this new found mobility from her new slim limbs. She smiled brightly as she cut through the air, enjoying the wind rushing through her short hair.

* * *

><p>Bunnie had returned from flying as the sun went down and more storm clouds from the previous day began rolling in. Most of the residents of the Knothole had gone indoors, and the Freedom Fighters were probably the only ones not in their respective huts. She met up with everyone at the Freedom Fighters hut to discuss new plans for getting the parts Nicole needed. At night, the hut was illuminated by a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling of the hut, powered by a small generator. Everyone did greet her positively about her new limbs; compliments and all. But even with her full recovery there was a festering tension between them all in the tiny hut as rain began to fall. With bigger issues at hand the discussion of her getting better was put on hold. Tails was the only team member who was not present; Sally had sent him to bed.<p>

So they all stood around the round wooden table in the middle of the hut, discussing their next trip into Robotropolis. Bunnie had a feeling she wasn't the only one who felt the tension in the hut. Sally spoke aloud while everyone listened, and she knew the tension was with Antoine and Sonic for different reasons no less. She could see the uneven faces of Amy and Rotor who stood to her left. Sonic stood next to Rotor and from his positive greeting about getting better she assumed he might be too. But everyone, excluding Antoine, was disappointed to see him fall back into his usual gloomy self as he had been lately. Though they never voiced it Sonic was the spirit of the team, he gave them all a boost in morale with his arrogance and confidence. Even if at times it was foolish it certainly raised spirits among themselves, she personally felt it did anyways…

But with Sonic being neutral and not being animated like he used to be made everything feel dead. He didn't make jokes anymore after Sally slapped him. He didn't laugh anymore after he'd come back from space a few weeks ago. After Sally almost got married to Patch and so many more other things that had happened recently.

Then to her right Antoine stood next to her, and he'd been in a sour mood the whole time in the Freedom Fighters hut. She knew it had something to do with not being able to help her. Jealously rearing its ugly head was her first guess; seeing that he looked upset as she glanced at him. Bunnie frowned hoping that all this silence would come out into the open.

"Eggman most likely knows we're coming there for something specific now. Are there any more reports from today Rotor?" Sally asked with a serious face.

"Nicole and I aren't exactly sure but the Legion is mobilizing, were not sure if they're coming here." Rotor said crossing his arms.

"How about we just assume they are." Amy said frowning around at everyone.

"I'm with you Amy; we need to set some safety protocols for the Knothole in the next few days." Sally said writing on a piece of paper. She looked up at Sonic briefly "Anything you want to add?" she added.

Thunder boomed through the night sky, and rain began to pour down as he spoke "I'm on the same page with you guys." he stated simply.

Everyone around the table waited as if it was a reflex, waiting for Sonic to throw out a quip, or do something other than not smiling. But he did not; he looked around in confusion as everyone tore their eyes away from him. Sally frowned and looked back down to the paper she was writing on. It was quiet for a few moments as without Sonic's enthusiasm, it became harder to face the difficult situation of fighting Eggman. Fighting for their lives…

"Alright I think that's it for tonight, get rested up because we're going to try and make a clean sweep tomorrow." Sally said picking Nicole up.

"Are you sure we can do this in one try?" Sonic asked her skeptically.

Antoine's grumpy face remained, and he hadn't spoken once. But the other Freedom Fighters looked at one another seeing an invisible opening in Sonic's words, a way to approach the Sonic they knew in a delicate manner. Bunnie, Amy, Sally, and Rotor caught one another's eyes before Sonic could notice, and Amy started the approach. Amy placed her hands on her hips with a smrik "You don't think you can do it?"

Sonic held a curious face "Well, we might be able to, it's just a stretch don't you think?"

"Is thet doubt I hear?" Bunnie joked with a grin forming on her face.

Sonic looked suspicious "What's going on?" he said trying to stay neutral.

"I thought you could do anything." Sally said in a mocking tone.

Sonic mustered half a smile and everyone but Antoine felt their hopes rising; Antoine kept a grumpy face, staying silent "I know what you guys are trying to do, and it won't work on me."

"We know you better Sonic." Rotor said matter-of-factly smiling at him.

Amy grabbed ahold of Sonic's arm "I know more about you then anyone." Amy fluttered her eyelashes.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Sonic said trying to detach Amy from himself; he was almost smiling.

Everyone but Antoine began to form smiles on their faces "Come on Sonic; you've done crazier stuff in the past and got away scot free." Amy said as she let go of him.

Sonic mustered a halfhearted smile "I guess I have been consistent with stopping Eggbutt…"

But as he chuckled it petered out, and everyone could tell it was wooden as his eyes fell to the floor. They panicked slightly because they could feel it; they only had to push him a little more. Sally placed Nicole on the table and moved around the table to him.

She placed a hand on his shoulder with a saddened expression "You can't change the past Sonic…"

"…" Sonic remained quiet and his eyes remained on the floor as his brows wrinkled in worry.

"We can't do this without you…" Amy said with pleading eyes.

Sonic tore his eyes away from the floor with a small smile on his face. And thunder and lightning boomed through the night skies, as rain began pouring even harder. Everyone's spirits rose as they saw a glimpse of the Sonic they knew; smiles plastered on everyone's faces but Antoine.

Bunnie wanted to add to the conversation. Hoping to repair some of her trust with him; only her next words she regretted for a long time coming "Its time tah get back out thare…so yiah know…get ovva it…" she said with her grin.

And though she had meant for her inflection to be different everything froze, and everyone froze as lightning streaked through the skies; making a startling cracking noise through the hut. Slowly all eyes shifted onto Bunnie, even grabbing Antoine's attention as Sonic looked to Bunnie with wide eyes. Quickly, frustration showed on his face as he opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it.

Bunnies tongue was tied, and her face was frightened with wide eyes at his sharp look as they locked eyes. Sonic quickly looked away from her and in doing so Bunnie flinched unexpectedly. She let out a soft gasp as if she was bitten by something. This caused Antoine to finally stop being inanimate as he donned an angry face "Watch it Sonic!" he said finally looking in the direction of Sonic.

Sally's hand fell away from Sonic's shoulder as he spoke, as he felt more frustration from Antoine's baseless outburst "Don't even go there Antoine I…I…" Sonic stepped away from the group "I need to go right now…" he said holding his hands in front of him, walking towards the exit of the hut.

Bunnie was speechless and with her features wrinkled in worry she turned to Antoine who looked frustrated as well; doing his best to not look her in the eyes. But she could not scrutinize his behavior because of her own behavior. She wanted to know why he'd been acting so uptight and ask what his problem was. But she couldn't bring herself to say anything, to even move a muscle. As she turned back around, they all witnessed Sonic as he quietly made his way out of the hut and into the heavy down pouring rain.

Sally looked distressed as she went and grabbed Nicole off the table and ran towards the exit "I'm going to take care of this guys…"

Without a word from the others, they all nodded in understanding as Sally ran off into the rain after Sonic. Amy and Rotor both not knowing what to say looked at the couple surprised blinking their eyes "….Goodnight guys…" Rotor said with a worried face as he walked out of the hut.

Amy followed suit, remaining quiet as she left, leaving Bunnie and Antoine alone. Bunnie had hoped Antoine would say something first, but he remained quiet as she kept her back turned to him. Antoine glared at the table in front of him, and Bunnie stared worriedly out of the exit of the hut into the cold damp rainy night. There were furrows of worry on her forehead as she ran through her mind. But unfortunately she could not find the reasoning behind why she spoke such words….

* * *

><p>Not long after the dissemination at the Freedom Fighters hut Bunnie and Antoine shut the light off and went back to their own hut. They quickly made their way through the rain and dried themselves once back in their hut. It was cooler tonight too because of the rain and the draft was stronger than usual.<p>

The hut was illuminated by dim candlelight and Antoine was on his knees on the other side of the bed, rummaging through his dry clothes. Bunnie sat on the opposite side of the room, on the edge of their bed with her arms on her lap and her head in her hands. She and Antoine hadn't spoken since leaving the Freedom Fighters hut. And the sound of rain pouring down outside with the occasional thunder strike grated on her mind. At the moment, as Bunnie held on to her head with her hands, and her head low, she was lost inside her mind.

Now just realizing how bad what she had said was, she tried to come up with a reason but nothing sufficed. She wasn't thinking when she said it, and it hurt even more knowing she had shot herself in the foot. She groaned inside her head; feeling a bit queasy knowing she had messed up. Telling someone to 'Get over it' was so dismissive and condescending, it was just a horrible thing to say.

She imagined how it would feel if someone told her the same about a traumatic event she had experienced. Like if someone told her to 'Get Over' being robotticized. Bunnie sighed lightly not believing what had happened; she'd made a mistake. She had hoped today would've went better with her getting better and whatnot. But Sonic might have gotten worse and Antoine was giving her the silent treatment. Any good of the day had gone down the drain, and Bunnie removed her head from her hands.

She glanced over her shoulder at Antoine feeling down in the dumps. Her eyebrows were knotted into a frown knowing it had something to do with Sonic, his outburst back at the Freedom Fighters hut made that clear. Bunnie quietly stared at him knowing on instinct this was the critical moment between them. Things were already not perfect with her chemistry with him gone, now this was a difficult moment they were going through. Her face became determined as now, this was the time she could see his true colors in this tough time they were going through. To see one another at their worst. So she could see if he was really down for her; behind the shower of endless compliments their relationship was based upon.

The rain outside got harder and Bunnie braced herself for the best. A person's true colors were shown in the face of a crisis and in time…

There was a moment of hesitation but Bunnie spoke, ready to test the waters "…Twan? Wats wrong?" she asked turning in his direction.

Antoine caught her stare still looking quite upset; he sighed not about one but multiple reasons for his bad mood "…When you fell ill I was not able to help you…" he said tossing a shirt he held onto their bed.

"I understand yiah sweetie but…yiah did what yiah could….we're lucky tah have such good friends backing us." Bunnie said as her face became sympathetic.

Antoine frowned "I know but I don't feel right about it…I was completely powerless…" he said sitting on the bed in a huff.

Bunnie felt they were making some headway; they were communicating at least "Wat happened yestaday?" she asked curiously.

"…Sonic being unruly as always…" Antoine said briefly looking away from her.

Bunnie had hoped he would be more truthful, but since he was still dancing around the issue, she decided it was time to bring it out in the open. Whatever his reasons for being jealous of Sonic had to be addressed because they were not healthy for them, it was hurting their relationship, and it would never be fixed if they didn't talk about it "Antoine, Sally tol me wha happened. It didn't sound like Sonic was trying to mess with yiah, he was jus trying to…"

But she was cut off by Antoine who looked upset again "I don't want to discuss a subject about him; he did what he was gonna do." he smirked "He'll get over whatever in the world is bothering him." Antoine said looking her in the eyes; still looking quite slighted.

This made Bunnie's temper flare a bit, not sure if his sarcasm was a joke because after what she'd just said she didn't need to hear anything like that. She felt really bad about what she'd said to Sonic and the last thing they all needed was separated friends. Her brows furrowed in slight anger "Look jus drop all tha Sonic stuff for a minute ok?" she said lowering her tone of voice.

They both broke their gazes, and thunder roared through the night skies. Bunnie then stood from their bed, making Antoine look up in curiosity. She made her way over to his side and sat down next to him. She looked him in the eyes with only the dim candlelight illuminating her face and wrapped her arms around him. He reciprocated and not seconds later they kissed. Grabbing ahold of one another in an embrace…only the passion was amiss...

They both saw it in one another's eyes as they broke their kiss, and they stared blankly at one another. A flash of lightning briefly lit the room, and they finally saw it.

There was no desire…no intense emotion…

Slowly, they let go of each other knowing without spoken word that they both felt nothing. They both stared blankly at the floor and listened to the trickle of rain on their hut. Bunnie finally saw the misconceptions of her ideals. Seeking to fill her emptiness through Antoine even though she admitted she felt nothing; seeing now that it was many things that had changed in their relationship. For one, whatever jealously Antoine had for whatever reason wasn't going to just disappear overnight.

It was one of the things she disliked about him and knew she could not just change him. It put a damper on a lot of things and caused many arguments between them. Along with their life goals, she did not and was not going to get involved with military life. She still wasn't even sure what she wanted to do with her life. She was striving for just a normal, simple life. And she didn't want to involve government or the sort. Everything was clashing and now everything was up in the air. She didn't want to stay just for emotional security…she felt nothing….

She couldn't do this…

They weren't in love…

Bunnie shot up from her seat with her arms crossed, and her back turned; Antoine rose too "Why haven't yiah said nothen?" she said in a upset tone.

Antoine was wise to the way she spoke and though his true reasons for not voicing his disinterest was because he was comfortable with her; he told a half lie "We've made a lot of progress…" he said with a serious face.

Bunnie frowned deeply "At wat cost? Are yiah really happy?" she turned around to look at him; her face full of worry.

Caught in her stare Antoine could not tell a lie; his silence saying it all. As they gazed into one another's eyes it was obvious what his answer was "Why didn't yiah jus tell me!" Bunnie said in a fit of anger; raising her hands in the air.

This caused Antoine to be upset as well "Same to you!"

Bunnie was exasperated as she became tongue tied again, trying to find the right words, but she was being a hypocrite. She hadn't said anything either; her eyes narrowed in anger "I…I…" Bunnie stuttered.

They angrily looked at one another and no words were needed to say whatever was going on between them was over. Bunnie made a beeline for the door, and he called out to her "What about our plans?" Antoine said with an angry face.

Bunnie spun back around "I don't want it!" Bunnie yelled because there were so many differences between them that she didn't feel like pointing them all out again. Their core difference was their life goals "I don't want a life with military in it! We've changed..." she paused; her face angry "My blood aint the sam color no more, we don outgrown in two diffrant directions!" she said in a loud tone.

Antoine's face became grumpier because he knew she didn't like the military; she had voiced her opinion about it many times, but this was the first time he'd seen her extreme dislike of it "One day you will need our guardsman's help!" he yelled.

Bunnie growled with balled fist at her side "Please don't say nothen!"

She said as she turned on her hills, and stormed out of the hut into the hard pouring rain, and back to her old hut for the night. Antoine ran to his door and watched her disappear into the night feeling a sense of loss about how quickly things had just escalated. He took a few deep breaths, and his angry face disappeared into a frown as he stood at his doorway taking in the fact that now he was alone again….

* * *

><p>Minutes later Bunnie burst through the door of her old hut and slammed the door behind herself. She was drenched wet, and her face was full of frustration. Her hut was dark, and she didn't bother to light a candle as she fell to her knees on a side of her bed and planted herself face first onto her bed. She cried deeply letting everything go. The sound of her sorrow was heard without difficulty as only she could hear.<p>

She gripped the sheets of her bed as her fist balled twisting the sheets. Ironically she cried not because she had lost any of the delusional love she pursued, but because everything with Antoine was not what she thought it was. They had spent so much time together over the years that she felt awful that nothing had come of their relationship. That they had wasted so much time because of the fear of being alone. Finally being honest with herself, she'd rather be alone than living with false pretenses.

Bunnie cried for a little while longer, until she felt she had got everything out. She stayed on her floor for a while, getting ready to crawl into bed a cry some more when through the thick of the storm outside, she heard something unfamiliar. Her ears perked up and her face became curious, and then she heard the faint sounds again.

She quickly got up from the floor wiping her eyes and moving to her door. The instant she opened it she heard the cries of residents. She blinked her eyes and looked through the heavy down pouring rain…there was a fire on a few huts not far away from her own!

They were under attack! With a frown on her face Bunnie sniffed away her remaining tears still feeling sadness and anger about her relationship going south. But she looked at her new limbs and remembered the upgrades she had just received. Her face became determined as she immediately ran out of her hut and into the rain; not bothering to close her door. It was time to give her new limbs a test run, plus she could let off a little steam on some Swatbots and Legionnaires.

* * *

><p>Bunnie is starting to see change and Sonic relapsed a bit. With Bunnie's break up I wonder how the Freedom Fighters relations will change and how they will interact different? I'm sure you're wondering :)<p>


	7. True North

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

Bunnie and spell check don't agree lol; also I wanted to mention Tails is younger in this story just like the time period in the comics or Satam. It's been awhile since I wrote this story and sure you may have noticed the new book cover. I saw at comment about it as well so for those who like the art here's the link or google it

/art/Commission-TimeCrisis2-307085714

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><p>The storm did not let up as Bunnie ran across the wet ground, and to the source of the cries of help she had heard. And since it was night out it was sort of hard to see, especially with the rain heavily pouring down. She would not have been able to see at all if not for the huts on fire all around her providing a source of light. With a growl on her face, Bunnie looked around at all the huts on fire and wiped the rain and tears out of her eyes searching for others; there was no one around were she was at now. She listened and heard the faint cries getting farther away; they sounded like they were coming from the main square and there was weapon fire.<p>

Her face remained determined as she looked past the burning huts she was standing next to; she could see more fire and hear peoples cries further down the village. She immediately ran straight ahead towards the village square past the cluster of seven huts on fire. It took less than a minute when she finally spotted people. The growl on her face only intensified as she caught sight of Legionnaires and Swatbots terrorizing the citizens. The Swatbots fired their arm lasers at the huts setting them on fire, and at the citizens as they scrambled around. The Legionnaires fired their disabling weapons at the robotticized citizens and dragged them away.

They were under a dirty sneak attack at night…

Bunnie balled her fist as she engaged the thrusters of her new limbs and took off into flight right towards them. They weren't caught off guard though as they noticed her, and fired their weapons at her. Bunnie engaged her force field briefly, and the Swatbots lasers bounced off it.

She landed near two Swatbots and a small group of nine citizens; her force field disengaged. They pointed their arm lasers at her, and she pulled back her new arm to punch them. And with swiftness she was even unaware of, broke their faces in with two swift punches. As she pulled back her new cybernetic arm, they fell to the ground and she blinked her eyes with surprise at her new mobility; she looked down at her new arm.

Punching with the strength of her cybernetics was much swifter. She retained all of her strength of having robotic parts yet everything was lighter. It also seemed the metal these cybernetics were made out of was stronger; her punch shredded through the Swatbots faces. With her old parts she was a bit slower; her clunky old arm had a bit of a delay she had to admit. Especially after what she just did; her punch was faster and stronger than she had ever done in the past with her old clunky parts.

She broke away from her racing thoughts to glance behind herself at the two Legionnaires who dropped the citizens they were carrying and pointed their weapons at her. Bunnie looked back at the terrified citizens on the ground looking at her "Stay down!" she said in a stern tone; anger formed on her face.

The citizens looked afraid and followed her orders staying on the ground. Bunnie turned back around as the Legionnaires fired their disabling guns at her. But Bunnie found that her new legs gave her faster mobility as well; she was dodging their weapon fire with an accuracy she never achieved in the past. She stopped dodging and ran straight for the two Legionnaires who fired at her. She was pretty fast to now; much faster than she'd ever been with her old legs. As she charged towards them she was unfortunately hit by two jamming devices that attached to her legs. Again, in an instant, her whole body went stiff, and she fell face forward onto the wet and muddy ground.

The citizens behind her panicked, and Bunnie even felt a bit of panic as she couldn't move her body. Once again, she was only able to move her eyes, and was barely able to dart her eyes up to see the Legionnaires advance towards her. But suddenly she felt an electrical surge run through her body, and her eyes lit up in surprise as she felt herself regain control over her body. She tested it briefly staying still on the ground as if she was still paralyzed and moved her fingers. She smirked as the Legionnaires stood above her still pointing their weapons at her. She had a surprise for them…

As they hoisted their weapons over their backs and reached down to pick her up Bunnie rolled over. This surprised and shocked both Legionnaires and she stared at them with an upset face "Not so tough without yeur weapons are yiah?" she said as she pulled back one of her legs and kicked one of the Legionnaires.

The kick connected with the Legionnaire and Bunnie was shocked a third time by her new strength. The Legionnaire flew back a large distance and crashed into a nearby hut and hit the ground. Bunnie kept the frown on her face as she stood and the remaining Legionnaire looked on in shock. She didn't know her own strength, and she needed to watch herself; she didn't want to kill anyone. Her strength was comparable to her old limbs, just a bit stronger, so she had to readjust now having new limbs.

The remaining Legionnaire tried to run, but Bunnie snatched the Legionnaire by their collar and pulled them back and punched the Legionnaire with her cybernetic arm; she made sure to pull her punch this time though. The punch knocked the Legionnaire off his feet with a small amount of force, and the Legionnaire stayed on the ground once they landed.

The anger on Bunnie's face stayed as she wiped the rain out of her eyes and some of the mud off her face. She looked around the immediate area. It was still hard to see, but everything looked clear. She could still hear a lot more cries and gunfire going on around other parts of the Knothole; there was fire near the Freedom Fighters hut too.

Bunnie turned on her heels and ran over to the terrified citizens on the ground and began trying to herd the group to a bunker "Com on! Let's get goin!" she motioned with the wave of her hand.

The terrified looking citizens quickly got up feeling safe after seeing her heroics and began following Bunnie. Soon all nine citizens followed Bunnie's tail, and they made their way towards the Freedom Fighters HQ; one of their bunkers was located near there. They passed by the main square and the Lunch House spotting more citizens hiding and they came with them. They didn't get far to the bunker before they encountered more Swatbots and Legionnaires. Bunnie made quick work of them. Saving even more citizens as they traveled towards one of their emergency bunkers.

As they neared a crossway that led to the Freedom Fighters HQ, and towards one of the exits of the village, many terrified citizens yelling and screaming ran in Bunnie's group's direction. Bunnie had to squint when she finally caught sight of a group of five Swatbots walking towards them with their arm lasers pointed at them; with their cold red eyes visible in the night as the rain continued to pour. Bunnie's large group got down as Bunnie glanced back at them.

And Bunnie was moments away from running at them and attacking them when they were suddenly shredded into many metal pieces and fell onto the ground. Bunnie frowned as she looked over at Sonic at the end of the debris trail, and he stared back at her with an equally deep frown on his face. They locked eyes briefly, and Bunnie felt an overwhelming sense of detachment that she couldn't shake. Everything around her was changing…something had changed between Sonic and her too…

They broke their stare when they heard more cries not far from where they were standing as a nearby hut bursted into flames. By the hut Antoine and three citizens ran away from two Swatbots. Antoine had his sword out and tried to stop them, but they were advancing too fast for him. Sonic quickly went to his aid and spin-dashed into both Swatbots shredding them in half. The three citizens joined Bunnie's group, and Antoine frowned at Sonic as he sheathed his sword.

Sonic remained quiet as he and Antoine ran over to Bunnie and briefly discussed what they had done. It seemed that this surprise attack had split into specific parts of the Knothole. They could only figure they were targeting the robotticized citizens for Legionnization. To dwindle their numbers so it would be easier for Eggman to attack. Bunnie was the only one out of the loop as the rest of the Freedom Fighters were nearby and had been fighting since it started. She had went off for unknown reasons to the others, and had missed some of the action. So far, they had done well protecting most of the citizens and getting them to safety. However, the southern part of the village they had been away from for minute and they were afraid it was something they may have left unattended as they could not be everywhere at once.

Then right behind them Rotor, Sally, Amy and Tails came running through the rain with a large group of citizens. They all came running over to them and other than Rotor and Sally, they were out of breath. Sally spoke through weathered breath and a serious face"…Bunnie…you're ok…"

Bunnie nodded as her frown softened a bit "Auhum alright…"

Sally face stayed serious "…Good…we need somebody to take these people in…" Sally looked at Antoine and her "Take all these people to the bunker; Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rotor, and I are going to the backside. We might have missed a few…"

Bunnie and Antoine nodded silently not looking at each other, and Sally looked a bit confused by their behavior but she nodded "…Alright you two; get these people to safety and meet up with us."

Again they were silent with frowns on their faces as they nodded at Sally; they still did not look at one another. Sonic, Sally, Tails, Rotor, and Amy looked at one another noticing something was a little off as well. But they didn't have time to figure it out, and they all gave Bunnie and Antoine looks of assurance as they ran towards the direction of the village square. Bunnie and Antoine kept their eyes away from one another as they left, and began gathering the group of now about twenty residents of the Knothole.

They did not speak to each other as they led the residents of the Knothole to safety and they even kept their distance. Every now and then they did glance at one another and even in the night, as hard as it was to see, they both saw disdain on each other's faces as they escorted the Knothole residents to the bunkers. Their upset faces stayed on them as they moved around the Knothole beating back the Legionnaires and Swatbots saving as many as they could. Because it was a long night fighting in the cold wet rain, and mentally with all the turmoil going on within their own group…

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><p>The next morning in the Knothole the sun had risen and the rain had stopped. It was still cloudy but it didn't look like there would be rain again, at least not for a while. With partly cloudy blue skies and a moderately warm temperature, the Freedom Fighters were in their hut discussing the damage around the Knothole they had assessed after last night's attack.<p>

They all stood around their table with papers strewn all over it. Amy, Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie, Sonic, Tails, Sally, and Nicole sat on the table. Some were of their next plans for Robotropolis, and some were blueprints for Nicole's nanites. It was quiet around the table as everyone watched Sally hunched over the table writing down a long list of things that had been damaged; the hut they were in now only sustained a small amount of fire damage.

Sally's red hair was wet and everyone who stood around the table still had damp fur. They all held upset faces and bags under their eyes; their adrenaline was still pumping from last night. The little sleep they got, they didn't sleep well. Bunnie frowned as her eyes looked around the table. She was sure the others had noticed the new positioning…she was not standing next to Antoine…

Antoine stood the farthest away from her on the other side of the table and had not looked at her once since they all entered the hut. He stood next to Tails, who stood next to Amy, who stood next to Sonic, who stood next to Rotor, who stood next to her, and Sally stood to her left. She knew they saw it but said nothing; she was sort of glad it wasn't brought up yet either. She still felt frustration, anger, and sadness within herself this morning. She knew their breakup would be known soon enough…

Bunnie broke away from her inner turmoil when Sally spoke up and broke the silence; she placed her writing utensil down and stood fully up looking around the table with a serious face "I'm not gonna lie…that hurt…"

And there was a collective sigh from everyone as Sally continued "We lost some people…." she said in a descending tone.

"It looks like we lost a lot of housing too." Rotor said scratching his head.

"Everyone's just going to have to suck it up until we can do something about it…" Sally said crossing her arms.

"Did Castle Acorn hold up?" Antoine asked looking over at Sally.

"The royal military said there was no loss there." Sally said with a frown.

Antoine nodded looking down at the table lost in thought again; Sally spoke again "The lunch house needs new beams and the roofing needs to be replaced…" Sally paused looking down at her paper "…Were gonna need more materials to rebuild that along with all the huts lost; our storage huts were damaged too but we'll get to that later…" she said looking up at everyone again.

Sally looked around at everyone, but they all looked in other directions lost in thought. It was quiet for a moment as Sally closed her eyes and sighed; she thought no one had anything to say when Sonic suddenly spoke up, and her eyes shot open and glanced over at him; so did everyone else "What can we hit hard?" he said with a serious face.

Sally looked a bit confused "You mean what we do next?"

Sonic shook his head "No, I mean just that. I wanna slow Eggman down a bit." he said in a confident tone.

And the strong tone of voice made Sally smile and everyone excluding Antoine, and to a lesser extent, Bunnie felt a sense of invigoration. That was the Sonic they knew.

Bunnie was hesitant but she spoke up; she looked around the table; she said as her frown softened "Yiah might be ontah somthen Sonic…" she mumbled.

Tails smiled brightly, "Eggman might try to attack us again since he was successful in his last attack." he said looking at Sonic.

Sonic's serious face softened a bit, and he smirked at Tails; everyone's faces became brighter excluding Bunnie and Antoine "You're right Sonic. Eggman might feel a little bold after last night. He might try and run over us next time." Sally said with a smile.

"Which could be anytime…maybe next week…or even tomorrow…" Amy said with a curious face.

Then everyone looked down at the table as Nicole spoke "As of now Robotropolis is mainly powered by fuel; electricity power is Eggman's current main resource. He needs it to maintain Robotropolis. You will not be able to shut down his power directly as he has many power generators. Though if you were to disable a large fuel production tank in sector three of the city, it might slow him down for a brief period of time to recoup from last night's losses. If you slow down his power you slow down his ability to maintain and direct attacks." she spoke in a neutral tone.

Rotor rubbed one of his tusks, and he looked at Sonic "You know that's a big reason why Eggman hasn't already attacked us full force yet. He just doesn't have the resources to do so." Sonic nodded at him.

Nicole responded to Rotor "Indeed Rotor. But by my calculations, Eggman is quickly converting the city to run more efficiently and with the Legion becoming his allies it is only happening faster. Soon he will have plenty of resources to demolish us. He will attack us soon and we must have a new home to protect us before he does. Our numbers are dwindling, and it is only making it easier for him. I have been forced to use technology from my time; I should not be using the nanites. If I am to continue to help you I must use them. I am afraid it is the only way to protect us all."

Everyone listened with somber faces taking in Nicole's words. Taking that, for the most part, there time was running out and every day they were inching closer to a horrible fate.

Sonic cracked his knuckles; his face was determined "So how do I do that?" he asked Nicole.

"A pump reflow would be sufficient." Nicole responded to him.

Sonic smirked and everyone but Bunnie and Antoine felt more confident. Rotor smiled, and his face lit up with an idea "Since you're going in Sonic, we should make up a plan." he said looking around the table.

Sally nodded "When do you want to do this?" she asked him curiously.

Sonic frowned "I want to go right now."

Everyone looked shocked, even Bunnie and Antoine looked a bit surprised. Bunnie glanced over at Sonic with a sympathetic face "Knaa slo down, its daytime."

Sonic kept his determined face as he looked around the table "I'm going." he finished.

Everyone slightly frowned but they silently nodded; there was no arguing with him. Sally kept cautious eyes, but she had a small smile on her face "Since your being so reckless today we should see if we can get the parts Nicole needs too."

"What did we already get?" Amy asked aloud looking around the table.

Nicole responded to her; everyone looked down at Nicole on the table "We have two of the five critical parts. I now require three more components of the scale of what we have already collected, components that are of the scale of ten to the negative fifteenth power."

"How small is that?" Antoine asked her raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"At the moment I am the only one who can see at a nanometer." Nicole responded.

"I'm guessing that's smaller than I can imagine." Sonic said with a curious face.

"You would be correct Sonic, though with Tails and Rotors help we have already designed an assembly so I can create the nanites." Nicole responded with her usual neutral tone.

Rotor pointed to the back of the hut in the area were Nicole made stuff from the future that she claimed she came from. On a small wooden table, there was a machine assembly made of extremely intricate looking parts and the way it was assembled. It didn't look like any technology they had ever seen.

Sonic looked at Tails impressed "You guys made that?"

Tails nodded with a smile "It was more Nicole than us. She guided us through every step."

"Great job sugh." Bunnie smiled weakly at Tails.

Tails was too happy with his attention from everyone to notice Bunnies subdued behavior. And then Nicole spoke again "There is also a danger you must consider Sonic."

Everyone looked down at Nicole and Sonic then smirked and so did everyone; excluding Bunnie and Antoine "Lay it on me." he spoke confidently.

And she did "The resulting explosion from such a tank would require you to be a great distance from it to abstain from injury."

Excluding Bunnie and Antoine everyone looked at Sonic whose face became serious again "I got this."

Everyone excluding Bunnie and Antoine felt the morale in the room rise from Sonic's overconfidence; Sally was smiling the brightest "Ok Sonic, were going to need to split up for sure…" Sally said as she reached onto the table for a clean sheet of paper.

Sonic halted her though "…I'm going solo…" he said with a frown.

Sally quickly looked at Sonic with a chastising look "What!" she almost raised her voice in disbelief.

Now everyone disagreed with him "You can't go alone! How are you going to get the parts and blow up that tank?" Amy said with an upset face.

Sonic kept his frown and crossed his arms "…I'm not sure…but we can't wait…" he said looking around the table.

And no one could disagree with him. They knew if they sat still Eggman would retaliate again; that and they had to start rebuilding right away; Sonic spoke again "We have to start rebuilding right away; you guys can do that while I'm gone…"

Sally looked upset but as she lifted a finger to protest him; she lowered it knowing he was partially right. But Sally was not going to let him go alone…she would not stand by and watch him get hurt and think she might lose him again…

"We know you've done solo missions in the past Sonic but this is different. You're talking about waltzing into Robotropolis in broad daylight. You have the ability to do it…" she paused as her face became irritated "But you're not going alone Sonic, and that's final." Sally said sternly.

Sonic and she locked eyes, but as Sonic uncrossed his arms there was a moment of silence around the table; as they expected Sonic to argue. He was just about ready to when the silence was broken as Bunnie spoke; she held a frown on her face "I'm coming with yiah." she stated simply.

Everyone looked at Bunnie, and she continued; she briefly glanced at Sonic "Yeur not goin in thare alone." then she looked back around the table "We can't wait. I found out I'm a lil more nimble afta Nate fixed me up…" she paused briefly seeing Antoine frown at her out of the corner of her eye; she ignored him but her face became more determined as she finished "Sonic and I can get in, and out quick."

Sally kept her frown "Are you sure you feel one hundred percent better Bunnie?"

Bunnie kept her determined face "I know so."

Bunnie kept her eyes away from Antoine's jealous eyes as Sally spoke "With your upgrades now Bunnie you, Amy, Tails, and Sonic can move the fastest…this is really risky though…" Sally frowned glancing over at Amy and Tails "We need your guys help here, and even though you have speed Tails, we're still not sending you on a mission officially yet. It too dangerous."

Tails silently nodded in agreement, and Amy looked upset because she could run fast and keep up with Sonic. But she wanted to do what was best for the good of everyone, even if she wanted to go with Sonic now that Bunnie had brought it up "Right..." she stated unevenly "I could go too but we do need to rebuild..."

Rotor piped in with a frown on his face as well "So we're doing the clean sweep then?" he questioned aloud.

Sally and everyone then looked at Sonic "Are we doing it?" Sally asked him.

Sonic responded with a nod to everyone "We're doing it."

Sally's face softened a bit as she moved the papers on the table and found a blank sheet and wrote on it "Alright then…this is operation clean sweep…"

Everyone held serious faces as they discussed their most dangerous plan to date. Bunnie kept mostly focused on the plans as she did her best to ignore Antoine, who was starting to occasionally glance at her. She knew he might be doing his jealousy thing again; even though they had split. But she figured he hadn't spoken up since he knew that Sonic, and she were currently the only ones who had the ability to move fast enough to pull this off; which they also discussed in their talks. She knew she still had to deal with the aftermath of their breakup, knowing they still had some things they needed to talk about….

Bunnie noticed that Sonic had paid her no mind though, and she knew why…heck everyone knew why…there were many reasons…and Sonic had issues with everyone right now...

She didn't know what to say any more about him…

There were things she had always ignored and kept at the back of her mind. Though She continually saw change she didn't notice before. About how he'd always helped her and affected her life. How he was a big part of her life, and she just was starting to notice how big a part he was…

Even as their friendship was starting to slowly erode and drift away…

She kept her determined face as they made out their plans. She was not going to let this mission fail. She was determined to help them get their new home going. She was starting to feel a new sense of purpose even though her breakup wasn't even long ago.

It was still early in the day as they got their plans together. It was estimated that it would be late in the day when they returned and hopefully Nicole could immediately start working on the nanites. Bunnie was suddenly and oddly compelled, completely focused on getting the mission done and nothing else; it was all that was currently on her mind. Though she knew her shift in focus was to forget…

The other stuff…she would deal with when she got back…

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><p>It was around noon when the Freedom Fighters got their plans in order and everything was raring to go. Amy, Sally, Rotor, Tails, and Antoine were starting to get the Knothole back in order; rounding up the residents and telling them what the deal was. Meanwhile, Bunnie and Sonic were getting ready for their trip into Robotropolis in broad daylight no less; the sun was bright and high in the sky right now. Sonic had gone off to prepare while Bunnie had returned to her hut; just opening the door to walk inside. She didn't really have to prepare herself; she was just stopping by her hut because there was something she wanted to do. She sighed with a sad face as she closed her door and walked over to the side of her bed and sat down.<p>

She reached under her bed and grabbed a broken shard of mirror. It was the only type of mirror that she or anyone else had. She brought it up to inspect her face and her hair; ignoring her sad face. Her fur was still damp, and she felt a bit of a shiver crawl over herself. She saw that her hair was starting to get long again. She sighed again closing her eyes, reserved, ready to just cut it again. But slowly she opened her eyes and glanced at the small crate in the corner of her room; her hand lowered as her reason for stopping by her hut popped in her mind.

She placed down the mirror shard on her bed as she stood up and walked over to the crate and bent down on her knees. She had an idea to try something different…

Her saddened face remained as she took the top off the crate and placed it on the floor. It remained quiet as she looked down in the opened crate filled with everything she owned before she was robotticized and her home was destroyed…

There were only a few items…

There were a few torn photos, her mother's locket, a broken brush, and a brown hat and brown jacket. She hadn't moved these items to Antoine's hut yet because she had just moved in with him a few days ago. They had split up before she could… she still had to get her other things from Antoine too…

Bunnie quietly reached into the wooden crate and pulled out the jacket and hat. She looked down at them with a saddened face. She had never worn the clothing before…Uncle Beauregard said it was a gift from her parents…

Bunnie squeezed the clothing in her hands…she never wore it because it reminded her of her troubled family past…

But now her past was starting to look like her present and the disconsolate state she had continued to dwell in, in her life. Lonely…and unable to make steady connections….

She had always been alone before she met the guys; seeing her current mistakes and the consequences they caused. She was trying her best to do the right thing…to be good…

At least, it seemed she was, but she saw how her recent selfishness in her own pursuits caused misfortune around herself…

And her recent behavior only reinforced how rotten she had been…

Her hands unclenched…but she was going to wear it from now on…to change things up and do something different...

And she was finally going to grow her hair out for a change; she only cut it for combat reasons; not wanting it to get caught or distract her in combat. With her hat on it would be less noticeable too. She always wanted to see how she would look with long hair; she wanted to work with hair still…

Since things kept changing she felt the need to change along with it. Then her face became determined as she stood and put her arms through the sleeves of the brown jacket. She adjusted it as she fully put it on. Then she placed her brown hat on her head and adjusted it until it was firmly on her head. The holes for her ears fit snuggly as they slipped right through, and she walked over to her bed. She picked up the broken mirror shard and inspected herself briefly. Satisfied with her new look, she nodded at the determined reflection of her face in the mirror and tossed the mirror on the bed. With a frown on her face, she tugged down on the tip of her hat as she opened the door and left her hut.

Things were changing around her, and she didn't know if she could keep up. She'd been used to the way things had been for so long now she was in a process of readjustment. Though at the same time she felt maybe she didn't have to worry about the change. Because even if she was not used to it, feeling uncomfortable as she wadded through it, she felt herself flowing with it too…

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><p>Not long later Bunnie met up with Sonic at the cobble stone bridge near the east exit of the Knothole; the sun was still high in the sky. Tails and Antoine helped her put what little fuel they had left for her boosters; she was full though so she could fly as long as she needed on the mission.<p>

Sonic was mostly neutral to her and complimented her on her new getup. She was equally neutral obviously because of recent transgressions that had happened around them. He had on his trusty backpack and held Nicole as she was accompanying them on this mission. The conversation between herself and Sonic though was nonexistent, as Sonic spoke to Nicole about miscellaneous details about the mission.

Bunnie walked back and forth keeping to herself as they waited for the guys to send them off. And they had more them a few citizens sending them off than they usually did; they usually got a small group when they were aware they were going off on an important mission. Sally, Amy, Tails, Rotor, and Antoine gave them encouraging words. Sally gave Sonic a quick hug which he returned, actually throwing out a quip and making everyone laugh. Bunnie was glad too because no one noticed that Antoine, and she held frowns, and they did nothing of the sort. They briefly glanced at one another, locking eyes, frowns on their faces, and they broke eye contact. They both still had nothing to say to one another….

And there was a sense of tension even as everyone cheered them off. Sonic and she waved good-bye to them all as they ran across the cobble stone bridge. They were going in outgunned and outnumbered…but they were unconcerned of the risk now because they had almost little to nothing left to lose anyway…

It took them about an hour or two to trek to Robotropolis, with her flying and Sonic running respectively. Flight was a lot easier with her new limbs; she was sure to be flying more often from now on. When they were in sight of Robotropolis they set down by a large watchtower with a spotlight atop it. The light was off and there was no one above as well. It was still daylight, and the sun was a little lower in the sky. Once they were sure the coast was clear, peeking their heads around the side of the tower, seeing patrolling Swatbots and Legionnaires patrolling the streets around them, they crouched down and went over everything one last time.

Bunnie watched as he reached into his back pack and pulled out Nicole; he looked at Bunnie with a serious face "I'm gonna get swarmed real quick…" he said handing Nicole to her, and she took her and nodded at him "If you find the parts don't wait up for me if it gets too hot. I'll do my best to be at the rendezvous." Sonic said in a serious tone.

Bunnie frowned "Sally would kill me if she knew I did thet."

Sonic kept his serious face as he took off his backpack and handed it to her as well. Bunnie took it, and he continued "When you hear the explosion you know it's time to go…"

Bunnie hoisted a strap of the backpack over one of her shoulders; her brows knotted into a serious look "I'm naht leavin yiah behind." Bunnie stated in a tone that sounded final.

Sonic sighed and began stretching his legs "Let's get a recap Nicole." he spoke to her in Bunnie's hand.

Bunnie looked down in her hand and Sonic looked in her direction while she spoke "Yes Sonic. You will go to pump station two thirty six, the large tanker just behind us."

Bunnie and Sonic looked through the bars of metal of the watch tower they stood behind and nodded "Yiah really can't miss it." Bunnie said aloud.

They looked back down at Nicole as she continued "Once you are at the station Sonic I will hack the doors for you. I can only give you a two-minute window to get inside and perform a pump reflow on the tank before Eggman notices. Once we start you will have three minutes to get there, and once there you will have two minutes to perform the pump reflow. Your distraction will allow Bunnie and I to go mostly unnoticed."

"Where are we going exactly knaa?" Bunnie asked her; her face curious yet still serious.

"We are going into a newly built structure that has just been built in Robotropolis. We have reason to believe that it is a Legionnaire building." Nicole responded in a neutral tone.

Sonic stopped stretching and crouched back down looking curious "How do you know if they'll have what you need in there?" he asked Nicole.

"The Legion have implanted cybernetics into their bodies. They must have facilities to maintain them; I am certain they will have what I need instead of searching through scrap piles any longer. Their technology is on par if not better than Eggman's. They have what we need."

"It's sort of a good thang they came along then? Bunnie smirked a bit.

"Your kinda right…" Sonic said considering it "Maybe that's why they're working with him…."

"Or maybe thare equalness is a front for other thangs each of them don planned…." Bunnie said thoughtfully.

"It is certainly a possibility because their technology rivals each other Bunnie." Nicole responded.

"We'll dang…I guess we're goin inta tha heart of tha beast…" Bunnie looked a bit worried.

Nicole spoke to Sonic "Do you remember the procedure to produce the reflow Sonic?"

Sonic smirked a bit "I think so…the main valve is purple, and I have to turn it off and turn all the other ones on."

"In the reverse order." Nicole responded; if her voice wasn't always so neutral she would have sounded sarcastic.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head; his eyebrows raised in surprise "Oh yeah…I'll remember that…"

Bunnie's determined face returned as she looked at Sonic "Be careful sugh…"

Sonic nodded back at her with a just as serious face "Start the timer Nicole…"

Nicole responded "Timer started…three minutes and counting."

Sonic immediately got up and peeked around the corner of the watchtower. His eyes landed on the huge tank in the distance; sector three of the city. He waited for just a few more Swatbots and Legionnaires to walk past. He wanted the coast to be clear so he had a clear shot running before everything would be alerted to his presence. Once they were out of sight Sonic swiftly took off without a word. Leaving Bunnie and Nicole behind as he dashed past a few buildings into the heart of the city.

Bunnie peeked her head around the corner as she watched him go with an upset face. She hoped he would be ok until she got the parts…

As she ducked back down she knew other than her empathy of him going into such danger alone, she also felt bad about the current state of their friendship. She was dealing with her own problems at the moment; breakup included. And whatever he was going through lately certainly didn't help with her actions…

She was still wary of all the change going on around her, and her breakup with Antoine was the biggest change for her…

Bunnie only waited with Nicole for a short while when the blaring Robotropolis alarms started. She could hear Eggmans voice through the intercoms on the buildings near her as she peeked around the corner ready to move. He was ordering his robots to converge to sector three of the city and attack Sonic. He also informed the Legion that Sonic was in the city too.

Bunnie squinted her eyes not seeing anyone yet. She crouched back down and moved to the other side of the watch tower to get a look. And she got a good look of a large group of Swatbots and Legionnaires starting to head in the direction Sonic had went. She watched as they poured out of the nearby buildings, then she looked down at Nicole and spoke in a low tone _"Show me where tah go Nicole…"_she said with a frown.

She looked back up watching the Swatbots and Legionnaires march down the metallic streets as Nicole spoke in her hand "A reticle is now on my screen." she stated.

Bunnie watched the last bit of the Legion, and Eggmans Swatbots go and looked back down at Nicole. A green arrow was now on her screen. Bunnie stood, and the arrow pointed straight ahead. Bunnie raised an eyebrow as she purposefully turned sideways; but the arrow remained pointed to their target destination. Bunnie's face became serious again as she finally ran from her hiding spot to her destination…in the total opposite direction of Sonic…

Bunnie adjusted her hat as she ran over to the factory like building next to the watchtower. It was another building like a few days ago; with many square glass windows above spread across the entire lining of the building. As she pressed her back against the wall she could vaguely hear the roaring of machinery going on inside the building over the loud blaring alarms. Bunnie quickly made her way to the edge of the building near the street and quickly took a look. Luckily, the streets were empty for the moment. Bunnie glanced up at the large buildings to her right in the distance; she could never shake the ominous feeling she got from the large dark-colored buildings; with one of the largest buildings being Eggman's personal control tower.

Bunnie quickly turned her head back to the empty streets. The whole area was filled with factory like buildings and straight ahead were smaller structures. Bunnie looked down at Nicole and the arrow, and it pointed somewhere midway in between straight ahead of her and down the direction of the street to her left.

And as she looked back up seeing no one she took off running towards the second factory like building on the other side of the street; she had another worry though; she frowned "Jus how far in tha city are we going Nicole?" she spoke looking down at her as she ran.

The alarms continued to blare as she ran in-between the second and third building; trying to maneuver between all the junk in between. Nicole responded "It is not a far distance, but we are already essentially behind enemy lines."

Bunnie frowned getting ready to jump over a stack of metallic junk when she spotted Legionnaires just down the way. She ducked behind a large trash bin, taking caution to glance behind herself as well. She then peeked around the trash bin and looked down the alleyway watching the group of Legionnaires pass _"I was afraid yiah were gonna say thet…"_ she said with a frown keeping her voice low and eyes down the alleyway

"An added reminder Bunnie, Sonic should have reached his destination as his three minute timer is about to run out. I will be hacking the doors for him momentarily." Nicole stated aloud.

Bunnie nodded watching the last few Legionnaires pass "I'm moven my tail as fast as I can."

Bunnie responded getting up and running pass all the junk down the alleyway. She picked up the pace knowing that Sonic was about to go into action. When she made it to the end of the alleyway she cautiously peeked her head out. She spotted more Swatbots to her right and Legionnaires coming down a street ahead of her. With her brows narrowed into a frown, she quickly looked down at Nicole, and the arrow reticle on her screen pointed more to the left. Unfortunately, there was too much open area to her left, and it left her vulnerable of being spotted. It was good the Swatbots and Legionnaires were not blocking her path, but there was too much risk of being spotted. She could run to her left and reach her destination, but she risked being spotted by those already out in the open. And she couldn't waste any more time; Sonic was about to start his part.

Her mind raced and her brows knotted in frustration, but quickly her eye's attention shifted to her new cybernetic arm. Bunnie then smirked getting an idea. She suddenly looked straight up to the gutters of the building she was standing next to.

She activated her boosters and swiftly flew up to the roof. She landed relatively quietly and crouched down as soon as she landed. She glanced down below and watched the Legionnaires and the Swatbots head to the right down the street. They hadn't noticed a thing…

Bunnie smirked as she looked down at Nicole and began following her arrow again; running straight across the rooftops to her destination. Two things came to mind as she hopped across large gaps of the factory buildings she ran across. She almost forgot that her new upgrades had greatly increased her abilities, and that she was much more agile and nimble now.

Her mind was so focused on being stealthy and not being detected it slipped her mind. It was sort of a habit after all the times they came here. Her old limbs weren't the best at doing that job so she mostly stayed on the ground. But now she saw her new light limbs were much stealthier. Her lighter limbs let her land without being heard; something that was a major issue in the past.

Bunnie noticed an oddly shiny building not far away, and just straight ahead; she activated her boosters and hopped across another large gap between buildings. She could see many Legionnaires and Swatbots down below as she ran across the top of the factory buildings undetected.

Her smirk was wiped off her face as she ran across the rooftops, and Nicole spoke in her hand again "Sonic has entered." she stated.

Bunnie frowned as she readied to jump across to another rooftop. She remained silent this time as she jumped the last gap to the last factory building on this street. That also meant Sonic's two-minute timer had started as well.

"We have arrived at our destination." Nicole stated aloud.

Bunnie crouched down and laid on her belly watching more Swatbots run down the street in the direction she'd come from. She looked around, but the oddly shiny building in front of her stood out among the ragged and dingy buildings around Robotropolis. Even the one she was atop of now was rusty and dirty. Bunnie then looked down at Nicole, and the reticle pointed right ahead of her.

This was it. It was smaller than the factory buildings. The building's walls were covered in metal ridges, and she couldn't see much else. It didn't have any windows, and it sat right next to the factory building she was on; she was glad it was close. She raised an eyebrow though thinking that it was strange for a building not to have a clear entrance or exit. It was then out of the corner of her eyes she saw a few Legionnaires moving from the left side of the building and down the street. With a curious face, Bunnie pulled herself closer to the edge to see better. And from down the alleyway she could make out that she was facing the side of the building. She was getting ready to get up and rush her way inside when she caught sight of Lien-Da walking out of the building in plain sight.

With a shocked face, Bunnie quickly pushed herself back out of sight. And down below Lien-Da with her arrogant face stopped walking past the alley. She donned a curious face thinking she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She immediately turned her head and looked up towards the roof of the factory building and stared there for a moment.

She blinked her eyes feeling a nagging feeling, and she shook her head. Arrogance showed on her face again as she continued walking down the street.

And back up on the roof of the factory Bunnie's adrenaline was pumping. Her eyes were wide hoping she hadn't seen her…

And the knowledge that every second Sonic's timer was counting down made her feel more anxiety. Bunnie's face became determined as she cautiously pulled herself closer to the ledge and got a look down below again. She felt relief seeing that the Legionnaires were gone, and she got up and crouch walked to the left towards were the Legionnaires had left the building.

Bunnie looked down at Nicole; the reticle was still on her screen _"Wat if someones in thare? Can yiah look inside Nicole?"_ she said in a low tone knowing it would be much harder to get the parts if she had to fight her way inside.

Nicole complied "I will scan the building interior." Nicole stated, and Bunnie crouched near the edge of the building looking down below making sure she was not spotted. She could see the entrance of the building now. When she looked down at Nicole in her hand her screen was filled with fast flashing numbers and letters.

Nicole spoke moments later "I have hacked all visual outputs of the building and have not detected any hostile threats in our target destination."

Bunnie blinked in surprise _"No one's inside_?" she asked with disbelief "_It must be my lucky day."_ she said as she stood _"Is thare anythang yiah can't do Nicole?"_ she said with a smile.

"No." Nicole responded; her voice was neutral but she had made an obvious joke.

She wasted no more time as she was sure no one was below, and she hopped down below into the alley next to the door's entrance. Bunnie quickly looked around the corner seeing no one in the streets and no one in the alley behind her. Then she finally moved out into the open and ran to the front side of the building. She didn't even have to have Nicole hack the door as it opened for her as she neared it; it automatically slid open as she ran in.

Her eyes had to adjust as she stepped inside. Everything, walls, ceilings and floors were white. The fluorescent tube lights above her were just as bright as all the white paint and colors; white tiles covered the floor; almost like it was a sterile room.

She took a moment to look around the room. There were metallic tables lined up just a few feet away from each other up and down the room. And on the tables were chemical mixing glasses and tubes filled with strange colored liquids. Robotic parts, welding guns, and a whole assortment of strange machinery also laid on the tables; there were flapping doors in the back of the room as well. She didn't waste any time, walking straight ahead looking around at all the strange things. The blaring alarms of Robotropolis were muffled inside this building.

She immediately held Nicole up to her face; her brows were furrowed in determination "What are we lookeen for Nicole?"

"The parts I need are in the back area of this building." Nicole responded.

Bunnie lowered Nicole and looked to the flapping doors in the back of the room "I'm movin…" she said with a determined face.

Bunnie swiftly made her way past all the tables to the back of the room and through the flapping doors. She was greeted by a wall, and the walls and floors were white tiles back here too. It almost seemed blocked off as there was a tall wall in front of her and a wall to her left but to her right the area was open. Bunnie swiftly moved to her right seeing more tables on the back wall of the room. She guessed the machine parts on the table was what Nicole needed.

She almost smirked as she moved passed the wall. This area was much smaller than the front, but as she passed the wall she noticed in her peripheral vision she was not alone. Her head whipped behind herself, and her eyes widened in shock. There were five people strapped in by metal constraints on metal tables that sat up vertically. Five echidnas and one of theirs…

Well, she didn't recognize them anymore with all the cybernetics in their face…

They didn't only maintain their implants here…it seemed they also Legionized people here…

Their eyes were closed; they looked knocked out. Bunnie begrudgingly turned her head around with a torn face knowing she could not help them. She had to finish her mission. She quickly moved to the tables and looked at all the strange-looking machine parts on it. She didn't know where to start as she pulled Sonic's backpack off; her face upset "I thought yiah said thiar were no hostiles here Nicole…"

"They are not hostile." Nicole responded to her in her usual neutral tone.

Bunnie sighed looking even more saddened "Yeah…I know…" she frowned looking back briefly at the people being Legionized then she looked back to the table "So what am I grabbin? I don't know wat any of this junk is." she held Nicole up to her face.

"Face me towards them." Nicole spoke to her.

Bunnie complied and slowly panned Nicole over the table when Nicole spoke again "The three glass vials on the end of the table are the parts we need."

Bunnie quickly reached over and grabbed one of them, but inside the glass vial she could barely make out anything. Whatever was inside it looked like a speck of dust "This is a machine part?" Bunnie asked stuffing it into the back pack as she sat Nicole down.

Nicole answered her question "These micro components are encapsulated as they can be easily damaged."

Bunnie stuffed the other two glass containers on the table into the backpack and picked Nicole up; holding her up to her face with a curious expression "Yiah sure yiah don't need nothen else?"

Nicole responded in a moment of hesitation "…Any other parts would be helpful in speeding up…"

But she was cut off as Bunnie sat her down again and brashly used her cybernetic arm to sweep everything off the table and into the backpack. Then she picked Nicole back up "Hows bout thet." Bunnie smiled.

"Your methods are excellent." Nicole responded to her.

And Bunnie wasted no more time as she swiftly huffed Sonic's backpack back over her shoulder and made her way back to the flapping doors. Doing her best to ignore the…non hostiles…

Before Bunnie could move through the flapping doors Nicole spoke again "Sonic's time has run out." she spoke in her hand.

Bunnie's smile turned into a frown again; she needed to get to the rendezvous. She pulled her hat down a bit as she pushed one of the doors open "Great…knaa we need tah get…"

But as she pushed the door open the door next to her opened. Bunnie's eyes widened in shock as Lien-Da pushed her door fully open. Lien-Da looked a bit surprised but quickly an smug smile curled on her lips. Bunnie didn't have time to react as she looked down at what Lien-Da held in her hand and lunged it at Bunnies abdomen, jamming it into her.

It was some sort of tasering device and Bunnie yelled in pain as she dropped Nicole and the backpack "Ahhhhhh!" she yelped in pain.

Bunnie felt paralyzed by the large volts of electricity shocking her, and she couldn't move. She growled at Lien-Da as she shocked her and Lien-Da kept her arrogant face "I thought I saw something strange sneaking around my home." she chuckled as she watched Bunnie groan in pain.

Then she pulled it away from Bunnie and she twitched and slumped to the floor with closed eyes. The taser had even burned through her pink leotard and left a hole. Lien-Da then frowned as she put her taser back in a pouch on her belt. She spoke in an even more indignant tone when she noticed Bunnies cybernetics.

"Something very strange indeed…" she said donning an upset face as she reached and grabbed a gun on the holster of her belt.

She sneered at Bunnie as she opened her eyes, and pointed her gun at her and fired. It was a jamming device gun, and it hit Bunnie dead on her leg. Bunnie looked surprised yet again as her eyes widened, and Lien-Da saw it as her body froze up.

Lien-Da then smirked as she stuck her gun back in her holster; Bunnie darted her eyes but couldn't move "You're not going anywhere. We haven't had a live capture like this in a while, I guess we'll have you moved to the lockup." she paused looking at Bunnies body "Looks like Eggman didn't finish the job…you know I was just going to have you Legionized to add to my ranks. But maybe we'll just have Eggman fully robotticize you." she said with a sly smile.

Lien-da began to laugh as Bunnie sat on the floor still fully immobilized. She walked over to her and knocked her hat off to add insult to injury. Bunnie moved her eyes around waiting…

Then suddenly she felt an electrical surge run through her, and her eyes lit up in surprise as she felt herself regain control over her body again. Just like last night…that jamming device that was integrated into her cybernetics really worked…

Bunnie blinked, and a frown came over her face as she squeezed her fist and stood. Lien-Da stopped laughing as she watched Bunnie rise off the floor with disbelief on her face; then she growled as her face became angry "How in the…"

And Lien-Da then flew violently through the flapping doors and landed on her back in the main room "Ooofff!" she cried as she hit the floor.

Bunnie picked up her hat and put it back on her head, picked up Nicole, and picked up the backpack; it didn't sound like anything had broken when it hit the floor. She put both straps of the back pack on this time, and Bunnie rushed through the flapping doors to confront Lien-Da just as she stood; she looked mighty angry after hitting her so hard; she wiped her face with her arm. Bunnie placed Nicole into Sonic's backpack closing it with a snap of its button and firmly readjusted her hat on her head staring at Lien-Da with an equally upset face.

Bunnie then charged at Lien-Da bringing her cybernetic arm down through the air hoping to knock her down. But Lien-Da growled as she caught Bunnies arm, and surprised Bunnie by resisting her attack holding her arm in place. Bunnie looked shocked again; she was using the strength of her cybernetic arm right now and Lien-Da was resisting her somehow…

Bunnie gritted her teeth as she pushed down harder with her cybernetic arm but Lien-Da only budged a bit. She wondered how she could hold back an attack from her cybernetics. No one normal could do that…unless…

Then suddenly Lien-Da pushed Bunnie's arm back up and then pushed her back. Causing Bunnie to stumble and fall backwards onto the floor. Lien-Da angrily lunged at her on the floor pulling out her taser again and tried to pin Bunnie down. Bunnie growled as she held Lien-Da back; grabbing her wrist and holding her arms at bay as the taser sparked near her face. Lien-Da tried to tase her again and Bunnie struggled to keep her back, Lien-Da pushed forward and Bunnie pushed back…Lien-Da was sort of strong…

Before it could get more out of hand, a large rumbling shook the building. They both heard it and the momentary distraction gave Bunnie time to use a leg and kick Lien-Da off herself. Lien-Da scowled as she slid a few feet on her side and immediately stood. Bunnie stood as well, and they both held frowns as they stared each other down, but the rumbling shook the building again. They both looked around in curiosity. All-around Bunnie and Lien-Da, the glass beakers and glass chemical tubes on the tables began to shake and rattle.

Then suddenly a deafening BOOM was heard shaking them both. They both looked shocked as they could feel the force of the explosion wherever it was coming from. The chemical glass beakers on the tables then cracked and exploded as the shock wave from the explosion shook the building even harder. Lien-Da and Bunnie shielded their eyes. But Bunnie took the opportunity to sprint right towards the exit; she was way late for her rendezvous.

Lien-Da saw this and tried to run after her, but a few more chemical glass beakers around her shattered and flew around her. She had no choice but to shield her eyes, less she get glass in her eyes. Unfortunately for her the little distraction gave Bunnie enough time to get to the exit, and she ran without stopping as the door opened. There was a large gust of wind that entered the building as the door opened and shut.

Lien-Da growled with her brows knotting into anger after all the glass had broken, and she glared at the exit where Bunnie had ran. She threw her taser to the floor, and turned on her hills running to the back room. She needed to see what that rabbit had taken…

* * *

><p>Bunnie didn't look behind herself as she hit the outside. The large gust of wind died down as she quickly pulled the jamming device off her leg. She tossed it to the ground immediately taking off in flight towards her rendezvous point…that explosion was Sonic…<p>

The alarms still blared loudly around her as she flew high into the air. The buildings below her became smaller as she carefully reached into Sonic's backpack and pulled out Nicole and held her up to her face; she spoke to Nicole as she flew towards the open land away from the city "Are yiah okay Nicole…" she spoke through gritted teeth and slight worry on her face; that taser stung.

"All systems are operational." she responded in her usual neutral tone.

Bunnie felt a bit of relief as she neared the outskirts of the city where Sonic and she came in. Strangely, she didn't see any Swatbots or Legionnaires walking the streets below as she flew. Bunnie looked a bit confused with an upset face; partially from the pain in her abdomen "I wonder if Sonic is at tha rendezvous…" she said as she looked around below at the strangely empty streets.

And Nicole responded offhandedly "Sonic's time has already run out. He should have reached it."

And there was a moment of hesitation as Bunnie remained quiet. A nagging thought in the back of her head made her want to go to the rendezvous and wait. But like anytime in Robotropolis she had a bad feeling…she didn't know where Sonic was at or if he was ok…

Bunnie followed her first mind though as she flew and neared the watchtower ready to touch down to get ready to wait for him. But she caught sight of a large group of Swatbots and Legionnaires firing at a building just a few blocks down. And Bunnie didn't know what clicked in her mind as horror filled her face, but she instantly knew that Sonic was there, and he was in trouble…

Bunnie's face immediately became serious again as she changed direction and flew faster towards the huge firefight down the way "Where are you going Bunnie?" Nicole asked her.

"He's not at the rendezvous..." she responded as she focused on flying.

Nicole remained quiet this time as she placed her in Sonic's backpack and closed it nearing the small factory like building. It was surrounded by Swatbots and Legionnaires and they were all firing into the building. Bunnie figured only that much concentrated fire could keep Sonic at bay; it would be like walking into a giant laser beam; you would be incinerated.

As Bunnie neared the ground she could see some Legionnaires and Sawtbots enter the building only to get knocked back out. As Bunnie hit the ground they noticed her as she landed near a fairly small group of them, and she smirked as she spotted a conveniently placed group of explosive looking canisters near the building.

As they readied to fire their lasers at her, she held up her cybernetic arm and her arm formed into her arm cannon, and she pointed it directly at the explosive containers. The energy from her new arm cannon surprised her though as it was much stronger and the blast that shot from it pushed her back a few steps.

A loud WHOOSH erupted from her arm cannon, and the energy blast from her arm cannon hit the containers and promptly exploded. Exploding a few Swatbots and causing some Legionnaires to scramble. The explosion was big enough to distract them all and Bunnie for another time this day looked surprised by her upgrades.

Her hat had slightly fallen off her head, and she looked down at her arm as it transformed back; blinking her wide eyes "This thang sure does got a kick…"

And it also gave Sonic a split second, more than enough time that was ever needed for him, as he rushed out of the building because of the distraction. Bunnie noticed all the laser burns over his fur, and in general, he looked roughed up. He had a serious face as he ran past her. Small gust of wind pushed past her and the Legionnaires and Swatbots began firing at them again.

He called back to her "You coming!"

Bunnie blinked her eyes as she turned around and took off in flight again. It didn't take long for her to catch up with him as they raced away from the city. Bunnie flew down lower next to Sonic running, and she pulled Nicole out of his backpack, "Nicole?" Bunnie asked her; her face worried.

"Yes?" she responded.

Bunnie smiled a bit "Jus checking."

Sonic then spoke to her "You alright?" he asked with a skeptical face.

Bunnie kept her small smile looking at him "Yeur one tah talk."

Sonic's face softened a bit; he hopped over a large rock as he ran and Bunnie kept up with him; he looked over at her with a curious expression, "Did you get the stuff?"

Bunnie nodded "I think so…Nicole picked uhm out…" she said still smiling.

Nicole spoke aloud "I am certain."

Sonic nodded donning a serious face, and Bunnie just felt relieved that they had both made it out. That was so dangerous what they had just did. Then they both heard another large explosion, and they looked behind themselves at the fastly disappearing Robotropolis. Another large plume of smoke was erupting in the air. And they looked at one another and nodded with a bit of surprise on their faces. Sonic ran faster and she flew faster; they had caused a bit more damage than they expected and just wanted to get home now. They knew one thing for sure; Eggman was not expecting that. And it was sure to slow him down a bit, and even show him not to mess with them….

* * *

><p>About an hour or two later the sun was starting to get low in the sky. The night's previous rainfall left silver and gray colors across the skyline; mixing in with the red hues of the setting sun. Leaving a layer of red, blue, and gray all mixed together. The beautiful colors made their victory all the better as they walked through the quiet of the forest. With a still warm temperature about and wind blowing through the trees Bunnie and Sonic were almost back at the Knothole. They had been mostly silent on their trip back; only occasionally speaking about each other's injuries. There was still an elephant in the room with both of them…<p>

For now anyway…

She was going to try and take care of that today…as much as she could anyway…

Sonic had laser burns all over himself and everything hurt; he walked slower than usual. He'd been caught in the explosion a bit but he'd escaped most of its wrath. Bunnie herself had developed a limp as she walked, using her organic hand to cup the spot were Lien-Da had tasered her. There was a bit of blood but it didn't look too serious; though it still hurt.

She told him of her encounter with Lien-Da, and they both agreed it was something they would need to discuss around their table as soon as they could. Nicole had stayed mostly quiet as well, though she and Bunnie talked a bit about the parts they had stolen and hoped that the parts she needed didn't get broke in all that fighting.

As they neared the cobblestone bridge that led to the east entrance of the village, they both saw there was a welcoming party awaiting them on the other side. Sally, Amy, Tails, Rotor, Antoine, and a small group of villagers were standing right on the other side of the bridge. It looked like they were waiting for them. Bunnie and Sonic continued to walk, both briefly glancing at each other with small smiles then looking back ahead.

"I thought they were supposed to be rebuilding." Sonic said with a smirk.

"Maybe they took a break." Bunnie responded jokingly as they stepped onto the cobblestone bridge; she removed her hand from her stomach.

It was at this point where everyone noticed them, and their faces brightened at the sight of them. Everyone but Antoine anyway…

Sally was the first across, and she met them halfway with a big smile on her face "Are you guys okay." she asked them immediately.

As the rest of the gang and the villagers came up behind her, Sonic smirked and Bunnie nodded with pleased smiles "I think we got tha stuff…" Bunnie said in a pleased tone.

Nicole spoke in Bunnie's hand, and she lifted her up as she spoke "For the moment I think I have collected the necessary parts for my nanites."

Tails looked up at Sally with a bright smile "So does that mean we're getting a new home?"

Sally nodded at him and patted his head "Were getting a new home to protect us from Eggman."

All the citizens around them listened with anticipation; it was why they stood around and waited for Bunnie and Sonic to return. Their faces then brightened, and they erupted into cheers. Bunnie smirked even more as the crowd cheered and Sally moved to Sonic and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Sonic's eyes widened in shock, and he yelped in pain trying to remove her "Let go Sally! Ow ow ow!"

Everyone laughed thinking he was joking, and trying to reject her affection. But Bunnie chuckled knowing that his laser burns made Sally's hug hurt. Everyone was so focused on Sonic and Sally no one noticed as she caught someone staring at her…

Her eyes landed on Antoine and his frown wiped the smirk right off her face. She couldn't tell if he was worried for her because she had clearly taken some damage. Because it was obvious in some way he still cared for her, and vice versa. But there was another look in his eyes…she could tell it was a look that he was still upset about what happened between them…

Bunnie frowned knowing they hadn't talked since it happened last night. If she knew him half as well as she did, she knew it was a mix of both. Antoine crossed his arms and stared back at her with his frown remaining silent. As they stared at each other Amy, who was standing closest to Antoine noticed that they had not embraced or done anything of the matter. Amy fully turned away from Sally and Sonic, losing her envious expression and curiosity filled her face as she glanced at the pair.

She was just starting to notice that something was different with them. As this was the second time she noticed that they were not together like they usually were. As long as she'd known the two they had been mostly inseparable; for them not to be tied at the hip was a bit strange to see. It was just like this morning; where Bunnie and Antoine stood away from each other around the table in the Freedom Fighters hut. Now they weren't even hugging, or anything after one of their most dangerous missions…

Amy donned a skeptical face…something was up with them…

And her suspicions were only cemented further as she kept an eye on them the whole time on the cobble stone bridge of the village. Watching them not do anything as everyone celebrated Bunnie and Sonic's successful mission. Though it didn't completely deter her from also getting in a quick hug with Sonic; which made him yell even louder and made the crowd go wild.

* * *

><p>Not long later the Freedom Fighters went back to their newly restored HQ to patch Bunnie and Sonic up. They left the cobble stone bridge with high hopes. They were finally going to get started with major moves to keep Eggman at bay, and start to fight back against him. The sun was setting and the red hues from the sun, and the silver colors in the sky flooded through the windows of the Freedom Fighters HQ. Next to their kitchen, they were in their lab, and they just finished patching Bunnie up. Rotor, Tails, Nicole, and Antoine were at the Freedom Fighters hut preparing to move their stuff. Now that the HQ was back up they were moving all their stuff back.<p>

Dr. Quack applied a gel to Bunnie's abdomen and wrapped bandages around her waist. She had bled a little, but it looked like she would be totally fine.

Bunnie sat on an operating table conversing with Nate as Dr. Quack put up his medical supplies. Telling him of their latest mission and how the jamming device integrated into her cybernetics saved her twice now. Nate told her even more about her new limbs; telling her that because they were lighter, they were also more energy efficient. Her flight now lasted fifty percent longer and she could fire her arm cannon twice as much now before she felt exhausted. That and it was more powerful; as she had found out.

Bunnie laughed as Nate made a joke, and their conversation was interrupted as Sonic yelped in pain again behind them. Bunnie and Nate looked to the back of the room where Sonic sat on another operating table. Sally and Amy were still rubbing an ointment all over him to help with all the laser burns and punishment he had taken.

Amy giggled as she rubbed more ointment on Sonic's arm, and he had a grumpy look on his face glaring at Sally. Sally smiled back at him "I said I was sorry Sonic. I didn't know you were in pain."

Sonic huffed though they knew he did not mean it "Well think about that next time before you hug someone…"

Sally chuckled and Amy smiled at him with a dreamy face as she finished rubbing the ointment on him "There. Now we're even." she placed her hands on her hips, "Now just sit there for a minute and let it set in. You'll start feeling better soon."

Sonic barely adjusted himself on the operating table, and he winced in pain "…I'm not going anywhere…" he said with a softened face.

"Good. Just relax a bit Sonic, we'll be back soon and were going to have a nice dinner tonight." Sally smiled at him as she, and Amy walked to the front side of the lab stopping just by Nate "Are you ready Nate? We've got a transport at Castle Acorn waiting." Sally asked him.

Nate nodded with a smile "Considering I came with nothing I would say yes."

Bunnie hopped off the operating table and gave Nate a brief hug "Thank yiah for evvathang Nate." she released him and stepped back "Don be a stranja knaa." Bunnie said with a big smile.

"We're all in this together aren't we." he laughed getting a chuckle from everyone "You are welcome Bunnie. If I ever need refuge I'll be sure to drop by." Nate said turning to follow Sally and Amy.

"Bye." Bunnie waved to him with a smile.

"…I'll catch you….around Nate…" Sonic said through gritted teeth from the back of the room.

Nate laughed "I'll see you around as well Sonic."

As they headed out the lab Sally looked back at Bunnie "You two sit tight, we won't be gone long."

"I hear yiah Sally girl." Bunnie said with a smile.

Sally nodded once more and then they were gone. Bunnie stood in her spot as she listened to them open the front door and heard it close. Then Dr. Quack closed the last cabinet and walked near the exit near Bunnie "Keep those bandages on for a few days Bunnie. The burn from that taser will sting for a bit, but it won't last longer than a few days I'm sure." he said with a serious face.

Bunnie nodded blinking her eyes curiously, "Aight..." she responded.

And Dr. Quack called to Sonic at the back of the room as he turned to leave "And don't make too many sudden movements Sonic, as hard as it may be you don't want that ointment to come off until it stops the inflammation alright." he waved a hand in the air as he walked out of the lab.

Sonic groaned in response and Dr. Quack chuckled as Bunnie watched him open the front door "I'll see you at dinner." he said as he closed the front door.

And as the door lock clicked it became quiet in the HQ leaving Bunnie alone with Sonic...something she was uncomfortable with….

Bunnie stood in her spot again staring at the front door…not wanting to look behind herself…

The tick of the clock on the wall in the living room, and the humming of the appliances in the suddenly quiet HQ gave her a chance to retreat into her mind and run a little longer…

She waited for a moment, keeping her back turned to him, but when she heard nothing she closed her eyes and her face became saddened…she figured he wouldn't have anything to say...

She opened her eyes and turned back around to sit back down on the operating table. She limped a bit and glanced at Sonic in the back of the room with his eyes closed…his face neutral…silent…

Her frowned deepened as she sat back down; the sound of metal clanking against each other echoed through the room as she sat. She hunched over and ran through her mind. She was thinking that the others were starting to notice that something was wrong with Antoine and her…

She was sure she saw Amy or Sally give her a strange look when they came to the HQ and she, and Antoine were not together. They didn't walk together; hold hands, or anything of the such. As a matter of fact, she had put distance between herself and him, and she was sure he did too. But now it was starting to get noticeable and Bunnie was not looking forward to when it finally happened…when everyone found out…

She was going to go talk to him tomorrow…

Then the predicament of her encounter with Lien-Da had played out. Once the citizens had left back into the village, and they first came to the HQ to talk about their injuries and the mission. One thing that stuck out the most was her encounter with Lien-Da, the facility she went into, and what she saw there. Just the simple fact that they had to deal with her now along with Eggman was up for their next topic for discussion when they got ready for their next plans. Though having a direct encounter with her was also good so they could start piecing stuff together about her.

Bunnie stared at the floor knowing there was still one thing she had not thought about…or addressed directly or indirectly…something she continued to be willfully ignorant about…

She sat straight up and worry consumed her face; her brows wrinkled together and she held a saddened expression. Shame…

Is what she felt…regret…that she had been trying to forget…

More than she would like to admit, her actions and choices had caused some damage to the individual behind her. Right and wrong were subjective, and as it was her choices had been disadvantageous…

Though she had meant well, considered herself to be good, she could see now that she wasn't who she thought she was…

In fact, she had been selfish and acting out for her own gain. After all he'd done to help her…and it was as if it was expected for him to do so…as he helped everyone…

Getting no thanks in return…he saved her life…

Saved her from being robotticized when they first met, saved her and everyone countless other times from Eggman. He even saved her life again just a few days ago when he brought Nate. She would not have recovered if not for him…she would have surely been dead if Sonic hadn't brought Nate…

She wondered how much he gave because it looked endless from where she stood. He had always been there for her. He even brought Antoine back to her…

And what did she do? She tried to use him to make Antoine jealous…

Like he was nothing...

Her deceitfulness was known and she got right back with Antoine; pushing it right in his face. The situation with the Antis didn't help as everyone felt betrayed even though it wasn't him; even she did despite what she did…

Or when everyone turned their backs on him when he was forcefully turned into Metal Sonic; her included. Then she told him to get over it…she still didn't know why she had said that…

The point being was that all these things and more were piling up and she had a bad feeling that it had already reached its breaking point. She already could see...she could feel that he didn't trust her anymore…

And rightfully so…

And even though she had been seeing a lot of change lately, it didn't change the fact that the damage had been done. And for what it was worth…things between them had finally broke down…and he had shut down…

She knew he was dealing with other stuff too. Sally, he just got his father back, trying to rebuild his trust with the citizens and them. She didn't know how it got to the point where she had taken their friendship for granted...took him for granted…

But as is…she had…

She had made these choices…

But she didn't want it to be like this. She wasn't bad. She was going to fix it. Sonic was her friend and she cared for him…

Bunnie swallowed a lump in her throat; she kept her back turned to him "…Sonic?" she spoke aloud in the empty room.

He responded a moment later, and she listened with her back turned "Huh?" he responded.

Bunnie kept her worried face "…Hear me out knaa…" she said in a serious tone.

Sonic sounded a bit confused by her tone; his voice sounded confused "What's up?"

Bunnie sighed "Pleas don't intarupt…"

Bunnie heard his silence and continued speaking; she looked down at the floor "…Sonic…I'm so'ry …"

And there was silence as he complied and did not interrupt her, and she continued "I know I nevva apologized for tha stuff with the Anti's…I'm so'ry..."

Sonic remained quiet and Bunnie paused momentarily as she let herself go "An for all the thangs I've done…I cant giv it back…I nevva will…"

Bunnie paused again and Sonic remained quiet as she continued; she closed her eyes "…I can't giv it back…" she sighed "…I jus wanted to let yiah know…I'm down for yiah…we…I'll always hav yeur back…"

Bunnie opened her eyes as she finished, continuing to stare at the floor and it stayed quiet for a minute. Hoping he accepted whatever type of apology that was. And after a minute of tense silence Sonic finally spoke; she kept her back turned "Hey Bunnie?"

Bunnie held a worried face at his response "Yeah…"

"…Thanks for not leaving me behind back there…I'm glad you kept an eye on me…I sure needed that blast from your arm cannon…" he spoke from behind her; his tone sounded neutral.

And she didn't know the expression on his face because she didn't turn around. But her face contorted into a small smile "Yeur welcome Sonic…"

Bunnie guessed that for the most part, from his response that he accepted her apology. Now she had to rebuild her trust. It stayed quiet again for a minute or two when Rotor, Antoine, Tails, and Nicole returned to the HQ with boxes full of stuff in their hands. They came right through the front door and into the lab.

"Hey guys, how you feeling?" Rotor asked Bunnie and Sonic.

Bunnie smiled at him "Nevva betta."

Sonic groaned "Painful."

"That's good." Rotor chuckled as he walked to the backside of the room with Sonic.

Tails greeted Bunnie and she greeted him back; even Nicole greeted Bunnie but Antoine was painfully silent; he held a skeptical face. And Bunnie frowned at him still giving him the silent treatment. No one noticed luckily and they took the stuff out the boxes, and un-packed them around the lab. Tails conversed with Sonic a bit and Rotor talked with Nicole about moving her assembly. Bunnie gave Antoine the cold shoulder, and he did his best to ignore her but still shot her glances every now and then.

Once they moved all their stuff in the places they wanted, they picked up their empty boxes and walked to the exit of the lab again. Rotor stopped by Bunnie noticing that she and Antoine hadn't talked yet "Say Bunnie, are you feeling well enough to help us? We could use the extra hands to get at least half the stuff moved from the Freedom Fighters hut before dinner." he said with a curious face.

Bunnie nodded smiling again as she hopped off her table "Yeah, I can do thet."

"Great, let's get moving." Rotor said holding onto his empty box walking out of the lab area.

Followed by Tails holding Nicole and his box, and Antoine and his grumpy face. Bunnie limped a bit as she followed them all; a small smile on her face and she briefly glanced back at Sonic who had closed his eyes again; his face neutral. Her face became neutral; she felt she didn't need to say anymore today…

She continued following the others out into the main room and out the front door of the HQ and Tails yelled to Sonic "Don't fall asleep Sonic!" he said in a happy tone.

Bunnie, Tails, and Nicole heard his response from the lab in the form of a large groan. Tails chuckled as he closed the door and Bunnie smiled at him "He'll be aight."

Tails smiled running after Antoine and Rotor "I sure hope so; he said he would take me on a mission soon."

Bunnie watched him go and limped along after them taking in the beautiful sunset skyline through the forest; the sunset's rays shined down over the HQ. Nicole began speaking to Tails again, and Bunnie caught Antoine looking at her, and he darted his head away from her. Though this time it didn't wipe the small smile off her face, instead she continued to smile as she felt a lot better now…

* * *

><p>Hey all, so it looks like I'm writing this story again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I finally sat down and figured out how this story is going to go. I know the ending and just about everything leading up to it. This story is starting to get complicated too lol.<p>

So Bunnie is getting use to her new body parts and dealing with her own personal issues. Being alone again all that comes with it and her break up. And she finally starts to see change with herself and with Sonic. Sonic is still Sonic but everything as not as it seems.

You may have noticed I used Lien-Da. Well I'm going to get into all that in the next chapter, with the reason being that this chapter got way longer than expected. So I'll get into all the juicy character stuff next chapter. Bunnie and Antoine aftermath, Bunnie dealing with Sonic, what's happening with him and Sally, with Antoine, we'll see what Lien-Da and Eggman are up to too. You know the good stuff. I hope you enjoyed reading.


	8. Air Chrysalis

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

Hey all, I wanted to take a second to address an issue that a reader had brought up to me; thanks Antrxx. Its about Bunnie's dialogue, I understood the points this reader brought up about her accent and the way I tried to write it and I made sure to carefully read all her dialogue this time around. So if you had any trouble with some weird word pronunciation before I have tried my best to correct that. I hope you enjoy!

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><p>The next day in the Knothole was a peaceful one as last night everyone in the village had a feast to commemorate their victory strike against Eggman. And to mourn the ones they had lost in their fight against Eggman's tyranny. It was a warm day as far as Bunnie could tell as she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling of her hut. She had a neutral expression on her face, and her mind was running. There was a soft breeze blowing through the window to her left and sunlight faded in and out sporadically. Bunnie glanced over at the cascading shadows made by the sun; she knew it would be a bit cloudy today. They had a heavy rain the night before, and it might rain again soon.<p>

She sighed slowly turning her head to look back at the ceiling not wanting to get up out of her comfortable position in bed yet. That taser burn on her stomach still tingled a bit this morning but that pain was easily overpowered by her mental anguish; she could hear the villagers already up and about outside her hut. She remained still with a neutral expression on her face…she was still rattled by her breakup with Antoine…

They both never explicitly said it but they both knew it was over. And with the huge blow dealt to Eggman yesterday, it was sure to give them all a day without as much worry. Today was sure to be a freed up day…and she had some things to take care of…

She didn't…feel…anything when she was with him….

Along with their core differences it was a disaster waiting to happen if they had actually stayed together. Though there was a small part of her that was afraid to walk away from him because she would be alone again…

There was a small part of her that wanted to get back with him still…

But she wasn't exactly sure of that…that was just her loneliness talking…she knew in the long run it would be bad for both of them…

She was going to talk to him today…it was going to be awkward…

Bunnie kept her neutral expression as she sat up and sighed again pulling her white covers off herself. With her cover's half off herself she looked down at the hole were the taser had burned into her leotard. The tingling sensation was still in her abdomen, and she needed to get her pink leotard sewn up pronto.

As she flipped her legs and sat on the side of the bed, she closed her eyes and placed her head into her hands. For a few moments she remained still before she got up and did her morning rituals; cleaning herself up and getting ready for the day. Taking note of her new limbs while she got ready; she did enjoy how much slimmer she was now. Before she got started on anything today, the Freedom Fighters had a meeting at their newly restored HQ. They had a few things to discuss, and it was where she was headed as she put on her brown jacket and hat; she still had to retrieve her things from Antoine's…

One thing was to see if Nicole detected any activity on Eggmans end; though she was sure they would have a full day of a breather from Eggman after what they did yesterday. She figured everyone else felt the same too.

Soon Bunnie was ready and she left her hut, closing her door behind herself. She pulled down on the tip of her hat and looked around; the Knothole was bustling despite what had happened the day before. It was warm, bright and sunny and cloudy as well. She donned a small smile hoping wherever she was headed in her life now would be better. She then began walking to the Freedom Fighters HQ to get on with their meeting for the day because it was still early.

Her mind still raced as she headed to the HQ. She seemed to make a little headway with Sonic; she only hoped he truly accepted her apology. She wanted to make things right with him; to restore their friendship and trust. She had also neglected her friendships with everyone else and was looking to better them too. She was just starting to see she had ignored others in favor of her relationship. Because now that she wasn't so entrenched in one…she felt silly for ever thinking things would never change…

She had certainly ignored her friendship with Sonic greatly…but now she was looking forward to improving and strengthening it again…

She felt shameful for her behavior and having to make amends for her lost friendships; it was a hard thing to do. But her disillusionment was broken after Antoine…she and him hadn't moved on completely yet...but things had changed and her plans for herself had too…

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><p>Twenty minutes later the Freedom Fighters were all gathered at their HQ in their lab around a new round shiny metal table. This new table was where they'd be discussing all their new plans now; just like in their old hut. They were all standing around it now; Nicole sat on another counter top near them hooked up to her assembly machine. It was now fully functional and Nicole had begun work on her nanites early this morning. The machine made a small amount of noise while they discussed many manners of things.<p>

Bunnie and the rest of the guys had serious faces as Sally went on about future ideas and plans. Bunnie stood next to her again, and Antoine stood the farthest away from her, and she knew everyone noticed now. She had greeted everyone jovially when she entered the HQ, and though she was down about her own personal problems, being optimistic was just a part of her character. The others seemed to welcome the return of her usual happy self; even Sonic seemed a little more open to speaking to her.

Though he still seemed to be depressed about something, and everyone noticed he still hadn't got better yet. Out of all that, she and Antoine did not speak yet, or for that matter be close with one another like they usually did. And she knew everyone had noticed; she could tell Antoine was upset that she still hadn't spoken to him yet, but she ignored him for the moment because she knew they were going to have a long talk today. She was still upset about the reasons and just the whole thing that went sour between them. But no one had a chance to question it yet as they quickly scurried into the lab and began discussing important matters.

Sally was hunched over the table and wrote on a piece of paper and looked up at everyone around the table; her face serious "If everything goes well we could just hold a defensive position. But until were sure we'll just stay cautious…" she looked back down at her papers and everyone nodded silently.

"Let's move on to current things …" Sally said putting down her pen and stood fully up "Rotor if you please." Sally crossed her arms.

Everyone looked to Rotor, and he reached down and grabbed a small stack of papers off the table in front of him. He cleared his throat with intent eyes as he read through them "After we successfully destroyed one of Eggman's fueling stations Nicole has detected a significant drop in Robotropolis's power consumption." Rotor looked up at everyone seriously "We can only draw from this conclusion that we have slowed Eggman down. Not for long, but enough to let us recoup from his last attack." Rotor's face softened a bit.

"I guess we get a day off." Amy said with a smirk.

And Sally nodded at her smirking as well "That's right, though we'll still be plenty busy, everyone should take some time to yourselves."

Sonic grinned and Tails spoke to him; Amy tried to get Sonic's attention and Rotor read through his papers a bit more. Bunnie and Antoine immediately locked eyes with frowns on their faces; they remained silent.

Bunnie quickly broke her stare from him when she saw Sally take notice of their interaction and looked a bit confused. Bunnie darted her eyes away from Sally but she didn't say anything.

The rest of the Freedom Fighters looked a bit relived as the last few months had been nonstop headaches from Eggman and the Dark Legion. But Sally donned a serious face again as she glanced over at Bunnie "Bunnie, tell us a little about your encounter with Lien-Da…"

Bunnie blinked her eyes in surprise "…Yeah…sure…" she stammered a bit.

Everyone became serious again and looked over at Bunnie, and Bunnie started off slow with a frown on her face "…Nicole and I went intah a Legionnaire building, and we ran into her as we were leavin…"

"There were Legionnaires everywhere…" Sonic cut in with a frown of his own.

"Their getting close with Eggman aren't they." Tails said with a worried face.

Bunnie nodded at them both "I should think so…she was talkin bout if she would Legionize me or robotticize me when she had me down…"

And everyone looked a tad worried as that meant they were working together very close, much closer than they had previously thought; Bunnie continued "…An when I was duking it with her she was able tah hold me back…" Bunnie said with a frown.

Everyone looked slightly surprised, and even Antoine spoke up "…You mean held you back?"

Bunnie shook her head still holding off on wanting to talk to him; she held up her cybernetic arm "Nah, I mean she held this back…."

"How in the world…" Sally said with wide eyes.

Sonic rubbed his nose "Well she is a Grandmaster, she's not like her goons." he said with a frown.

"Are the implants they use capable of that?" Tails said aloud with a worried face.

And no one but Nicole had a true response; she spoke aloud from the counter near them, and they all looked over at her "We knew she was implanted, as all of the Dark Legion, but now the extent of how much Lien-Da has implanted herself is unknown." Nicole stated aloud.

Sally frowned again and spoke; everyone looked back at her "Well this is good information to know regardless. Knowing the Dark Legions partnership is stronger than we previously thought means we are aware to be more cautious in the future. Since we've started dealing with the added threat of the Legion any information is valuable."

Everyone nodded silently in agreement but Sonic piped in "One of them will slip up and we'll nail them." he said with a serious face.

Everyone looked at him with hesitant faces but he didn't grin, and he still didn't joke like he used to. For a second time he looked around at them all with confusion, and they frowned; they were still waiting for the old Sonic…but he seemed to be farther away than ever before…

And the way he was acting now was part and cause of their reactions. Their morale went down a little bit more this day…and their friendships felt liked they had slipped a little again too…

He seemed to be acting a little more like his old self the last few days but now they weren't so sure anymore. Sally looked the most upset and Bunnie frowned because of her part in it; she was gonna make things right with him…

Then hopefully he would change back to his old self because he was the glue that held them all together…

Then Sally changed the subject again and everyone looked away from Sonic, and he still looked a bit confused. Sally sighed "I think that's enough for now…we'll convene later after we gather more intelligence…" she spoke to everyone.

But as everyone seemed to get ready to leave, nodding silently in agreement, Tails threw his hand into the air "You forgot about Nicole!" he said with wide eyes.

Sally blinked in response, and she smirked "It totally slipped my mind…" everyone paused "Nicole is making a nanite right now." and they all walked over to the counter where she sat.

Everyone followed losing their frowns and donning curious faces as they all circled Nicole and her assembly. Wires hooked up to Nicole led into the small assembly machine. It was on a small square plate of metal with many copper coils and wires and there were five small-sized machine arms moving about. In the middle of the machine sat a small square piece of glass, and a magnification telescope above it, but there was nothing on at as far as they could all see.

One arm moved down near the glass and made a small buzz, then it retracted and everyone but Tails and Rotor scratched their heads "What is she doing?" Amy said aloud.

Nicole responded to her "I am building the structure of the nano machine. It is very delicate and precise work. Because these machines are so small they cannot be assembled in the same manner as larger machines. I must manipulate chemical reactions to create a nano machine, with the micro parts retrieved I have everything necessary and more to create the basis of the machine."

"Ummmm…." Amy said looking even more confused.

Rotor chuckled "Whatever you guys got from Robotropolis is really helping Nicole along faster."

"You're welcome…I guess..." Sonic said looking baffled.

This got a giggle out of most of the others but they were still unsure about Sonic as of late "So zis nanites will be done soon?" Antoine asked her with a curious face.

"No, not nanites. I am creating the nano machine now. Once the structure of the machine is complete I will manipulate the nano-structure of the nano machine to create a nanite to create other nanites." Nicole stated.

Antoine rubbed his chin, and Bunnie furrowed her brows in confusion "Manipulate tha structure? How does thet make tha lil buggers?"

Nicole responded in a way which even made Tails and Rotor confused "Controlling how nano materials act is complicated…" Nicole paused "Every atom that is removed, added, or rearranged, the property of the material is completely changed. And with every change you face a new unknown material with properties unlike the latter, which in turn throws off the balance for the intended material structure."

Tails looked curious "So it's like if the periodic table elements completely changed…that's cool…" he said with intrigue.

They all chuckled and Rotor nodded with a smirk "It would be like if all the known elements we knew didn't exist anymore."

"Like metal?" Bunnie asked curiously.

"Correct." Nicole responded, and everyone looked down at her again "I am the only one currently who can see at one billionth of a meter, but I also have the computation power to keep track and continue to change the structure of the materials until I find the intended material structure for my nanites." one of the machine arms moved down and touched the small glass with a small buzzing noise, and it retracted "Along with data from my time." she finished.

"And these things can form a city? How can something so tiny be so strong?" Sonic asked her with a skeptical face.

Nicole replied to Sonic's skepticism "At the nano meter scale, nano structures can be manipulated into new material. As such, my customization will be of the nanites of my time. Their material will be of a high density and extremely durable. Suffice it to say, it is not from this time. In the final stages nano microchips, self-sustaining nano motors to power them, and self-replication will help them mass produce. All of this will be built in the Master Nanite to help me create the nanites faster. Then common materials can be restructured to create the rest." she finished.

"So jus how many will thare be?" Bunnie asked curiously.

"It is a much larger amount than you currently have on your large number scales. Over a centillion and more will be required to create New Mobotropolis. I also must move the nanites to the place where they will be building beforehand. They are tiny and it would be difficult for them to move to the intended destination own their own in a timely fashion." Nicole stated.

Everyone looked baffled; they were speechless and did not fully understand what she was talking about. And that number she threw out was certainly higher than they all could count. It was strange to as well, as what she spoke of meant there would be billions of tiny microscopic robots all around them soon. As if they ever needed to question that she said she was from the future, this proved it even more so.

Then Tails spoke up looking curious again "But how are you going to program them? Their so tiny."

"Once fully assembled I will transmit a signal to the nano microchips to program them with the desired coding from me so they will function; they will only function with my input. The nanites are built in a way that they can restructure themselves into any form by my input." Nicole stated aloud to them all.

"Excuse me." Sonic smirked a bit.

"My findings have been correct for a long time Sonic." Nicole responded to him as two of the mechanical arms on her assembly began moving.

Everyone got a chuckle out of Sonic's brief banter with Nicole; they also suspected Nicole's statement was part of her restricted files so they didn't ask her what she meant. Then Antoine asked her another question; he held a curious face "When will they be complete?"

Nicole responded to him "If you are referring to the Master Nanite it will take a day or two. If you are referring to when will there be enough to create New Mobotropolis it will take a week or so to create the required amount of nanites."

Then the Freedom Fighters looked worried, looking around at each other. It was certainly a better prospect than were they were before but at the same time Eggman was getting more aggressive. They just hoped they could hold out for a week or so without anything bad happening "Well that is better than where we were…" Sally said with a serious face, and she stepped away from Nicole "I think that's enough for now, were done for today."

And the Freedom Fighters all nodded in agreement with the good news that Nicole was in business; if they could hold out for long enough then they just might make it. Amy stretched her arms in the air and smiled; she immediately turned to Sonic "What are you doing today Sonic?" she batted her eyelashes.

Sonic looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head and Tails giggled. Sally's face softened, and she walked past Bunnie and over to Sonic to talk to him. Bunnie remained quiet, and her face became neutral as Nicole called to Rotor and told him she needed another mixture of chemicals batched up right away. Rotor and she began conversing, and it left her alone and her attention finally landed on Antoine standing just a few feet away from her staring at her with a frown.

Bunnie frowned then walked over to him before anyone could notice them again and softly grabbed his wrist and pulled him close to whisper in his ear "We need tah talk…"

Antoine was slightly hesitant to keep up the charade, and he briefly wrapped an arm around her to hug her "We can go to my hut…" he whispered back and he frowned.

Bunnie looked even more upset at him hugging her and she gently but forcibly pushed him away, and she let go of his wrist, and she spoke normally again; her frown deepened "We should go knaa…"

But Bunnie was interrupted as Sally tapped Bunnie on her shoulder and Antoine, and she lost their frowns looking neutral again. Bunnie blinked in confusion, and Sally smiled at her "Let's get your leotard sewn up…"

But Bunnie knew that look on Sally's face, knowing she wanted to talk. And she complied still feeling nervous about her impending conversation with Antoine. She did want her clothing sewn up as well. She looked down at the hole in her clothing, and Bunnie put on a fake smile "Sure thang Sally…lets go…"

Bunnie then looked back to Antoine "I'll come find yiah…"

Antoine nodded silently keeping a neutral face and Sally and she walked past Antoine and left the lab. Bunnie didn't look back, wanting to stave Antoine's stare that she knew he was doing as they left. The rest of the Freedom Fighters were still in the HQ as Sally, and she left and Bunnie's face became a slight frown again. Sally's smile had been replaced by a weak smile as they walked away from the HQ too. And Bunnie knew after they left the HQ that this day off was just another day of work in a different form…

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><p>A little later, it was still early in the day, and Bunnie and Sally stopped by Bunnie's hut, and she changed into one of her spare pink leotards. Then they grabbed a quick bite to eat at the lunch house and made their way to Rosie's hut. Rosie was busy watching a few young children so she took Bunnie's torn leotard, and they waited outside her hut sitting on a log. Villagers walked past them, and the children in Rosie's hut were loud as Bunnie and Sally sat down.<p>

Bunnie held a sympathetic face as Sally looked at her; she held a worried face "So Bunnie…are you doing ok?"

Bunnie nodded " Auhum doin well enough…" she inched out; she and Sally were very close and knew when one another was lying.

And Sally could tell something was off with her friend; Sally continued looking worriedly at her "I don't mean to poke around …but are you and Antoine alright?"

Bunnie felt her heart race but she didn't show it; her eyes widened slightly "Gosh no…thangs are ok…" she lied.

Sally didn't look convinced though as her brows furrowed "…I just couldn't help but notice you guys weren't together like you usually are…" Sally looked a tad hesitant "…I haven't seen you two even talk the last two days other than just at the HQ…"

Bunnie did look a bit surprised this time, as it was now obvious that others had noticed more than she had previously thought; Bunnie shook her head again "…We've jus been busy is all…" Bunnie cut her sentence short and briefly darted her eyes away from Sally.

Sally continued looking worried, and was about to ask her to tell her the truth. But Bunnie looked back at her and donned her sympathetic face again "I've been meanen tah ask about you…" Bunnie paused "...Yiah look sadder than a hound dog…"

With a saddened expression, Sally sighed and looked towards the ground completely dropping her question for Bunnie; she figured she'd ask again another time "…Oh…it's just Sonic…" she finished.

Bunnie now looked curious "But he's been looken betta lately."

Sally looked up from the ground to Bunnie with her brows wrinkled in worry "He does…but he's still not acting that way…"

Bunnie would have figured Sonic was getting better with his behavior as of late. He'd been talking more and on their last mission he looked to be getting back in the groove of things. But now it seemed behind closed doors that wasn't the case "Is he still in a funk?" she asked looking confused.

Sally nodded sadly "He's still not himself…" she paused looking up in the sky for a moment "I've been tough on Sonic but that's part of my duties as princess, and because you know…" she paused "…and my duties are conflicting with Sonic even more now because of our friction…we're drifting Bunnie…" she said the last part sounding even sadder.

Bunnie looked worried for her crossing her arms "…Thet can't be all true…I'm sure thangs will get betta…"

Sally looked back at her with a little distress on her face now "He doesn't want to get back together Bunnie…he won't even talk about it…"

"Y'all don took a break already right?" Bunnie asked her raising an eyebrow.

Sally nodded with downcast eyes "…I'm afraid Bunnie…" Sally looked back at the ground with her saddened expression "…Sonic…he's changed…"

And this time Bunnie remained quiet as she looked at Sally with a worried face. Her lips curled down, and her brows knotted into a sad expression on her face. She didn't know exactly why but this time hearing Sonic's unrest struck out at her. Unlike other times in the past where she was told of the same thing, this time she felt bad. And she felt like she was waking up after a long sleep, she guessed actively ignoring others in favor of her relationship was cause of that. She'd turned a blind eye, and she could see now she didn't know the half of what was going on with Sonic, and how much she had added to it because she had ignored…

So Bunnie and Sally spoke to each other for a while longer, with Bunnie consoling Sally and Sally asking her about Antoine again. But soon Rosie returned with Bunnie's leotard repaired, and Sally and Bunnie went their own ways for a moment. Bunnie told Sally she was going to see Antoine…

* * *

><p>It was around noon when Bunnie had made her way to Antoine's hut. She had dropped by her house once more to drop off her repaired clothing before she dragged her feet to his hut. It was hot out now, but still cloudy. And she had a frown on her face because the hut next to Antoine's had annoying females talking loudly to one another, and it sort of grated on her already bundled nerves. But she walked over to his hut and knocked on his wooden door; his curtains were closed when she walked past the side of his hut.<p>

She waited impatiently and moments later Antoine opened the door with the frown she was expecting. Bunnie took off her hat and placed it under her arm with an upset face "We need tah talk…"

Antoine nodded silently and stepped aside as she walked inside; he closed the door behind her. The first thing Bunnie noticed was there was a small box near the head of his bed with her things. Though she walked straight over to his bed and sat down and he sat down next to her; she placed her hat on her lap. Other than his annoying loud mouth neighbors and other less noticeable noise bustling in the village it was quiet in the room. They both stared at the floo,r with frowns.

"We aren't tha same no more…" Bunnie spoke first.

Antoine stared at the floor as he spoke "Maybe it's just a phase…we should not be so hasty.." he responded with a bit of frustration in his voice; though it was something they had both said many times as an excuse.

Bunnie looked at the floor with him with her frown "How many times have we said thet? This aint no phase…"

Antoine remained silent this time as he knew phases didn't last for years. These 'phases', which were there many issues in their relationship, kept popping up in their flings and in their current and past relationships. They had problems and for them to keep trying at this point was silly because things didn't feel right anymore…

"I'm afraid of losing you…." Antoine spoke with sadness.

Bunnie's brows knotted, and irritation formed on her face as she looked over at him "Why?" she asked simply.

And Antoine looked slightly surprised as he glanced at her, and sighed in defeat "…I'm comfortable with you…"

Her brows remained knotted looking agitated "An thet's all…yiah don't feel nothing either…I know what I saw yestaday…" she paused referring to their passionless kiss the previous night "…I thought about it too but thets only one part of it…I'm not tha same no more…" she turned her eyes back to the floor.

"Are you certain? How do you know?" Antoine looked back to the floor as frustration filled his face.

Bunnie spoke with her eyes on the floor keeping her look of irritation; her eyes were narrowed "How do I know?" she asked with confusion in her voice not sure if he was kidding "…I know…aahve changed cause I'm not attracted to yiah anymore…" she said swallowing a lump in her throat; glancing at him and the look of hurt on his face "…We've got otha thangs we don't agree with neither thet jus pile on top of thet…" she tore her eyes away from him and stared at the floor again "…I don't feel anythang anymore…thets how I know I'm differant….yiah've changed too…"

Antoine slowly looked back at the floor with a sad face "We made a rash decision…" Bunnie listened to him ramble "…I know we have both changed…I just thought we might keep trying…"

"What did yiah want? Did I make yiah happy?" Bunnie said still staring at the floor.

Antoine closed his eyes "It was zis rush when we first started…I had never been involved, and it was new…" he paused "…but zis physical attraction to you is gone….I have lost intrest….as have you…"

And Bunnie felt the sting of his words as she was sure he felt from hers; she continued to stare at the floor with a frustrated look. They were young and in war times, and they had jumped into a relationship to rashly thinking they knew who each person was and what they wanted.

Their interest for each other grew like any other interest; it was something they didn't have; so they were interested because it had something to offer to them. And it did at first, but they lost interest because when they got closer, they found out everything there was to know about each other…

They filled in all the blanks…

And the mystery of each person had faded once they found everything they wanted to know. And now their interest to know, the pursuit of the interest, was over. They had completed the pursuit of the interest. Their interest of each other was now gone as they had found out what they wanted to know. And it was not like they wanted or imagined either person to be. When they learned who each other really were, they each weren't who they thought they were…

They weren't the image in their heads when they first met…they never were…

They were false expectations and preconceived notions…

And what they had found was something that did not interest them…

Whether it was their expectations of their physical attraction or mental, they were no longer interested in one another…

Bunnie lifted her head; looking straight ahead; frowning as she spoke "I'm gonna start farming again one day…" she said in a determined voice.

Antoine lifted his head stating one of his goals as a frown came over his face "I want to join the military…"

"I like workin out an gettin messy…" Bunnie said still not looking at him.

"I don't like being sweaty and tired…" Antoine responded "I will gain prestige…" Antoine stood from the bed still with a frown on his face.

Bunnie stood with her hat in her hand "I jus want som quiet days…"

Antoine finally looked at her; his face upset "I want to be part of the military…"

Bunnie's frown deepened as she looked at him "I don't want no part of tha military and thare wars…"

Bunnie stared him down, and they remembered this was why they had no interest in each other anymore…

They both couldn't believe they didn't know these things about each other; they were trying so hard to make things work they never really asked each other what they really wanted out of life. They made many compromises in hope that they would mesh together, but that certainly was not the case.

It was also clear that she wanted a simpler, more peaceful life; while he wanted attention and yearned respect from strangers. And Bunnie still didn't know exactly what else she wanted to do in her life yet, but she didn't want what he wanted she was sure.

They wanted different things and were going to do them. They were not matching anymore, plans and all, they were different people now as the time passed, and it was clear to see. They had outgrown each other in their relationship and as people…

The image Bunnie had wanted him to be when they first started was a man who wanted the same interest as her, and would change to fit her. Thinking he would make her happy, but she know realized she didn't know why she thought he would make her happy. She thought just being with someone would guarantee that, but it was a silly delusion she could see now. His and her own issues had never been addressed or dealt with…

And as she stared Antoine in the eyes she didn't know what image he saw when he thought of her. But it had to be for the same superficial reasons of thinking whatever he saw her as would make him happy.

All the false proclamations of love…she didn't feel anything…

It couldn't be farther away from the truth…

"Hmph!" Bunnie exclaimed as she put her hat back on her head and turned away from him with her upset face; Antoine kept his upset face staying in his spot.

She walked past him and bent down and picked up the box with her things. For the second time she made a beeline for the door as there was nothing more left to say. They weren't happy, and their changing interest made it even more apparent why they were not. She felt nothing, and neither did he. She opened the door but before she stepped out she glanced back at him with a frown, and he stared back at her "…Goodbye…" Bunnie stated and it pained her to do so.

Antoine crossed his arms with a frown "…Au revoir my cherie…."

Bunnie stared at him for a few moments longer before she turned around and didn't look back. She blinked her eyes to fight her tears, tears for not losing her love, but never having it. Because it was a long walk back to her hut…saying goodbye was hard no matter the situation….

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Robotropolis in one of the tallest buildings…<p>

In the control tower that loomed over the entire city, Eggman stood by a large oval shaped window of his control center looking down below with a slightly angered expression on his face as he thought. The brown smog that colored the clouds over Robotropolis blocked out the sunlight up this high. The inside of this room's walls were painted a dirty brown metallic color, and the floors were grey metallic squares. There was a large console in the middle of the room and a chair in front of it. Above the console were over twenty monitors and there was not much else in the room other than the door leading to the exit of the room. Only the hum of his computers and his thoughts were heard. He controlled just about everything from this room…

It was a little past mid-day, and he'd had a heck of a time cleaning up the little surprise attack that had come from the blue rodent and his little friends. Eggman rubbed his red mustache giving Sonic props as he would have never guessed they would come to the city in broad daylight.

"A clever tactic…" he mumbled to himself as he placed his arms behind his back.

Because he wasn't expecting it and hadn't; it caught him off guard like the many times the Freedom Fighters snuck into his city and somehow got out. Catching your enemies off guard was brilliant but after so many times on being on the receiving end of such a tactic…it had become a slog…

Why hadn't he stopped Sonic yet? Because he was fast…unpredictable…and it infuriated him to no end…

He had all these resources and could not stop one person…it was straight out of a comic book…

In any other case he could capture any intruder, he had a whole army in his city, but he couldn't catch or stop Sonic. His speed was an ability that still surprised him today, as his speed gave him versatility and adaptability to any situation. To anything he had thrown at him…

It's what made Sonic amazing, that he, one person, could go up against so many and not be stopped. But Eggman growled; he couldn't take the Knothole just yet. If he could isolate Sonic he knew he could finally destroy him. Not just yet though…

Robotropolis was a management nightmare. He could see the angry reflection of his face off the window in front of him. The biggest issue of running the city was the resource management, and it was the reason he hadn't went full out and directly attacked the Knothole yet. Every time you moved something you took away from something else. And if you didn't maintain balance it all falls apart. Mainly speaking keeping the power running and trying to build an empire was hard when there was nothing but outdated technology all throughout the city.

Then a malevolent grin came across Eggman's face…that was all changing as he updated the city though…

In the last couple of months he'd replaced old technology with more efficient machinery, and it was getting to the point where it was efficient enough to create more without taking away from something and moving backwards. Soon…the city would be efficient enough to wipe the Knothole and their pathetic existence off the face of Mobius….

Then Eggman sneered…of course with the help of the Dark Legion….

And though he didn't fully want their help, he accepted it because it couldn't come soon enough. As the Freedom Fighters had been fully able to resist him because of his resource restrictions; which he was sure they were fully aware of. Because every now and then the hedgehog would come into the city, blow something up, and he'd be set back for another month or two.

Eggman crossed his arms as a few large transport ships flew past the window. He couldn't deny the Dark Legions technology was almost as good as his. And with their help, renovating the city to run more efficiently had helped him significantly…even after what happened yesterday…

Though he had other plans for Lien-Da and the Dark Legion, she was the current Grandmaster; their current leader. He always looked out for number one, and he deemed they would be a threat because of their advance technology. So once they had finished helping him fix the city up, he had a little trap…or he should say surprise for them…

Eggman grinned again, and little bits of light flashed off his black glasses. He was going to take control of Lien-Da and Dark Legion and make them his own. The Dark Egg Legion; he liked the ring it had.

He figured since he was already making the Eggman Empire he might as well take out any threats to it and make himself bigger. He also wanted the secrets to their technology; and what better way to do that than take control over what you wanted.

Eggman kept his twisted smile even as he expected mutiny from them. He trusted no one but himself and in the business he was in it was just something you had to be prepared for. He considered them foolish if they dared challenge him in his city; though he knew it wasn't beneath them. They had a history of such things…

Eggman then laughed a good hearty chuckle thinking about getting another successful attack on the Knothole the previous day. He'd seen quite a few new faces before he robotticized them.

Then Eggman turned around as he heard Snively's voice come over his computer; he spoke in a dry bland tone **"Sir…the swatbots are done cleaning the spillage…your oversight is ready for new construction…"** his voice cut off.

Eggman frowned and walked away from the window and over to the command console and responded to him. He flipped a few switches "Snively! Have the materials I requested ready and waiting! I'm not in the mood for anymore setbacks!" he yelled to him.

Snively responded immediately in a bland tone **"Yes sirrr…."**

Eggman typed a few things into the large keyboard on the command console, then turned and walked over to the only door in the room. He pressed a red button on the wall and moments later the door opened to reveal an elevator. He stepped in with an angry face…he had to get started on cleaning up that mess that hedgehog had caused…

* * *

><p>On the ninth floor of Eggmans control tower, Lien-Da stood in a hallway with two Legionnaires standing on each side of her with their weapons in hand. The hallway they stood in was oval shaped with metal ridges every few feet extending around the oval walls. The floor was made of white painted metal tiles and dimly lit by fluorescent lights that lined the sides of the floor and ceiling. She usually held an arrogant face but today she held a frown. She was getting real tired of Eggman…<p>

She stared at her reflection in the metallic door of the elevator she was waiting for. She was the current reigning Grandmaster of the Dark Legion and had been ravaging all around Mobius the last few years. In the process she forcefully recruited those who the Dark Legion steam rolled over. She had Grandmasters under her, and she had Dark Legion chapters in many parts of Mobius.

These enforcement groups were all directly under her control. And she was happy about her success as the current Grandmaster of the Dark Legion. And she had, had plans for Eggman while they had been in Robotropolis helping him…

She and her people were being subjugated their whole time here, and she knew it was done purposefully to try and maintain a certain level of control while he had people in his territory…

It didn't make her any less upset though…

She was the Grandmaster of the Dark Legion! She was ruler over one of Mobius's strongest organizations, that one day would rule the world! But Eggman was telling her what to do…

It made her blood boil…

One of the only reasons she decided on the Dark Legion's partnership with him was because of the troublesome nuisances in the village known as the Knothole; with that group being the Freedom Fighters and their continued resistance to them and even Eggman. So to take down a common threat the Dark Legion was having a brief partnership with Eggman. Legionizing already partially or fully robotticized individuals or just robotticizing whoever they captured.

And the subjugation is what made her most upset. Eggman was keeping her and her legion down. To only granting them some access to some resources around the city, to only getting a third of the resources he had available despite them fixing up Robotropolis to run more efficiently around the clock. But she knew things would be unequal with an individual like Eggman. Though he couldn't take away her authority which she maintained as Grandmaster. He was telling her what she could do around Robotrolpolis for the moment…but she was only complying…begrudgingly… as she had her own plans in store…

She smirked arrogantly at the thought…

Her real motives in deciding to help Eggman were in advancing their technocratic society; which the Dark Legion was. Her plans also included overthrowing Eggman and running over whoever got in their way; Knothole included. Being that of a technocratic society, they were interested in technology and Eggman had a lot of powerful technology. He was a threat, and they wanted the secrets to his technology to make themselves stronger.

Another motive was the trouble she and the Dark Legion had been having trying to take the Knothole; mainly because of Sonic the hedgehog. They joined forces with Eggman because despite the Knothole being able to hold Eggman off and even them now, they were vulnerable right now. Their location had been known for a long time and the Dark Legion and Eggman had been slowly chipping away at their numbers. Though they couldn't stop Sonic, Sonic was their only saving grace…without him they would have long since taken the Knothole…

They couldn't get past Sonic…his reputation preceded him…

Then the elevator door in front of her opened revealing Eggman; he smiled tooth to tooth as he saw her with his hands behind his back. Lien-Da put on an arrogant face as she stepped into the elevator with her Legionnaires. The doors closed, and he spoke first; she didn't look at him "Have you upgraded the power station yet?" he said with a devious smile.

Lien-Da smiled and nodded her head "Already done, I think I may have something for our little hedgehog problem too."

"Oh really, you must tell me what you have whipped up. Just later…I have some important work to attend to…hehehe…" Eggman said in an ominous tone; he held a grin glancing over at her.

Lien-Da raised an eyebrow but she grinned "I'm going to finish some work of my own as well. I'd say in a few weeks or so's time Robotropolis will run seventy percent more efficient…more than enough to do…whatever you are doing…" she said with a sly smirk.

Eggman saw this and lost his smirk, but before he could say anything the elevator door opened revealing Snively waiting for Eggman with a clipboard in his hand "Everything is ready and waiting for your orders sir." he said with a bland face.

Eggman didn't like the subtly in Lien-Da's statement but decided to ignore it for now as he had bigger things to attend to. He stepped out of the elevator and nodded silently at her with a frown as he began yelling at Snively; who sighed at Eggman's constant verbal brigades. Lien-Da smirked and nodded back at him as the doors closed. She frowned when the doors fully closed and pressed a button on the wall panel to go down…she was going to pull her Grandmaster's into Robotropolis for a talk tonight…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole it was getting on later in the day, and the sun was starting to set in the sky. It was still cloudy out but the setting sun would peek through the clouds every now and then. Antoine had went out for a walk for few hours around the Knothole to get away from everyone after Bunnie…<p>

Carrying a stoic expression the sun was starting to get low in the sky and to be honest he sort of felt lost…without direction at the moment…

He had walked around the Knothole almost three times, and this time he stopped where he was at and stared up because he was in seeing distance of Castle Acorn. This was the second iteration of the castle, it wasn't built far from the Knothole, and it was much smaller than the castle that was destroyed by Eggman in Mobotropolis. Surrounded by forest, it at least gave the castle a little more fortification. Despite the castle being smaller it served its purpose, enough to fit their ever shrinking military and royalty.

The castle was built out of stone, with large cylinder shaped cone designs on each side with one large drawbridge. It didn't have any gatehouse structures as it was built fairly quickly and wasn't much of a fortress, but just a place of reprieve. The middle part of the castle, the keep, the largest section, towered over the small village of the Knothole; it was squarer shaped than the rest of the castle. It also had three Republic of Acorn flags adorned on the tips of the roof of the keep blowing in the wind. It was built fairly quickly to keep up in their fight against Eggman….

Antoine spotted a small boulder near him and sat down on it and donned a contemplative face; staring up at the castle. He thought back but he saw even now…after Bunnie…he wasn't attracted to her…

The initial reason they got together was because it was exciting…after it wore off, and they lost interest…as he was now….he saw it did not make him happy or deal with problems he had always dealt with…

His goals that he wanted to accomplish…

Things he knew that if he achieved he would be happy…

He was still insecure about his place in all this…war…with himself…unsure…

He was still jealous of Sonic and what he could not do…he wanted to be a hero like Sonic….

To have everyone praise his feet….

And with Bunnie gone his comfort blanket was gone. Now there was no one around to give him attention; despite that his attention from Bunnie was shallow. He had been comfortable with Bunnie even if he wasn't happy…he'd felt somewhat important and got a boost in confidence that someone was paying attention to him…

He'd felt more comfortable in trying to accomplish his goals with Bunnie behind him; even though there goals completely differed, and she didn't like them…

But at the same time he was sort of glad the sham was over…but now he wasn't sure what to do anymore…

Antoine sighed as he stared at the castle with a sad face; he missed her company already. How would he gain prestige?

The reason he was part of the Freedom Fighters was because he was friends with them. If not for that he wouldn't be fighting on the frontlines with them as he had for so long. He might be inside Castle Acorn along with the rest of the military…

Then suddenly Antoine's eyes lit up, and he blinked in realization as he got a brilliant idea. Maybe it was about time he got back involved with the Royal Military…just like his father wanted him to be…

Antoine got up from the rock and smiled. Maybe this was the direction he was looking for; he certainly felt motivated. As he was a skilled…well somewhat skilled swordsman…he was a little rusty…

But in the military he could possibly rise in the ranks. He did don a somewhat skeptical face wondering if going back into the military would even work? Would he fail or even get close to what he wanted to do? But as he thought of the latter…of Bunnie…he'd rather try something rather than nothing…

Then he smiled again; if he did actually accomplish getting prestige he would get more attention than Sonic and people would praise him too. He would take away some of Sonic's praise…and he would sort of be on equal footing with Sonic…

Antoine donned a smug face as he adjusted his sword belt and his sword on his waist. Then he proudly marched right towards the open drawbridge of Castle Acorn. He was going to go sign up for the Royal Military again...

* * *

><p>Around the same time elsewhere in the Knothole…<p>

Sonic sat on the makeshift couch made of wood and other flimsy materials staring at the setting sun in the sky in his mother's hut; his home; they had a good view from their living room window. His parents got up from a table as they had all just got done eating; of course his father couldn't eat as he was currently robotticized; he still sat at the table while his mother, and he ate. Bernadette pushed her chair forward and looked over a Sonic with a smile "Sonic, your father and I are going to retire early. Don't stay up to late."

Sonic nodded with a neutral face "Sure thing mom…"

Jules got up from his seat to "Listen to your mother." Jules echoed his wife with a bit of playfulness in his voice.

Sonic smirked a bit at his response; his father was still less stern than his mother, and he was glad to have him back "I won't stay up to long tonight."

"Don't encourage him Jules." Bernadette said in a playful tone and a smile on her face as they walked to the back of the hut; Jules joked with her, and they closed the door to one of the rooms. Sonic's smile slowly disappeared off his face as his mother's attention was fully on his father. He was glad his mother was happier again…

Sonic turned to look back out the open window of the hut at the setting sun. It was quiet in the room and the sound of the wind blowing only added to the tranquility of the moment. His expression was blank…he wouldn't exactly say he was getting better…but he'd been feeling…ok…

Somewhat stable on a shaky tightrope…somewhere in between all the turmoil he'd been experiencing…

Things did seem to be going ok…for the moment…

He was feeling a little better about things, and the people of the Knothole were lightening up to him again. They were talking to him and generally more sociable with him lately. He had regained some of their trust after their previous attack and success of their latest mission. But that didn't mean he trusted them anymore. He would always remember how they acted, and now that things were getting better with the people he was always going to keep them at an arm's length. Since it was always a possibility they could act distrustful of him in the future.

Despite everything he done for everyone he would never trust them again. So now that things were ok, he was sure to stay a distance from them personally so it could never drag him down again. He'd hung around the guys most of the day; Bunnie and Antoine had been absent though.

Same with Sally…

They were just friends right now…she had been trying to entice him back again today…but he'd distanced himself from her even farther lately…

After all that happened between them…he felt he had to step away to get better…and he had…

So mostly things were improving for him as he struggled to move forward in his life…

In time…

He turned away from the window and stared at the floor with a frown. And as he distanced himself from things that brought him down he wondered what he was fighting for again. Sometimes the meaning of what you do in your lifetime felt surreal…

His good intentions were returned in the worst possible outcomes. He wanted good to happen but life had shown him the worst outcome every time. So did it even matter what he did? Everything was random and no matter what he did people mostly were ungrateful. What so ever he had feared had come to life…and he figured that was life…

When nothing goes your way…but you push forward as he and other individuals in the world tried to shape it with their intention as the world was a blank slate…and what happened in it was by an individuals will….

Though he also felt…he…had changed…and he didn't care as much about others because of their mistreatment…he was just one person...he couldn't change the world...but he could try and live the life he wanted and cut out everything that made it bad...

And should he go one protecting those who didn't care…maybe…he still felt he could walk away…he still may…

But he wasn't a hero anymore…he didn't want that title anymore…he was caught up in the hype in the past…

Now he was just an individual doing what might be advantageous…

He was not the same anymore…the charismatic person used to be was still in him…he was just a little different now…

Everything changes…nothing stays the same forever…

He kept his neutral expression as he glanced back out the window to see the sun going down. Then he got up from his seat and headed for the door. His parents knew he was going out so he said nothing. He figured he start his watch out duty a little early…he was feeling ok right now….

* * *

><p>A few hours later it was dark out, and torches had been lit around the Knothole like they did every night. It was a little cool out as Bunnie leaned her arms on her window sill and stared into the cloudy night sky; her hat lay on her bed behind her but she kept her brown jacket on. Dim candlelight illuminated her room. She had a sad expression on her face; she hadn't seen much of the guys today as she wanted to be alone. After her talk with Antoine she came back to her hut and hadn't left. She cried a little, but after she wiped her tears she'd spent all day in a downer over her breakup.<p>

This change was sudden to her because she hadn't been alone since she met the guys. And she had lost her interest for Antoine…she wasn't attracted to him anymore, and she felt nothing because of their differences…

She sighed watching as fireflies flew past her face. They both had gotten a little dependent. She was already lonely…she was going to have to learn to be alone again just like before she met the guys…

She still had her friends, but after being in a relationship, per say, for so long she knew it would take time to adjust to not being around someone all the time. It was a common side effect of a breakup, loss of a loved one, etc. Though it was a small thing that didn't affect who she was.

She was an optimistic individual, and was not going to let the little thangs in life get to her. Though Antoine was a big stepping stone she was going to carry on with herself. She would not let her breakup get to her and change who she was.

Starting with her own path in life…

She felt lost again…all her plans had revolved around Antoine and her…

Being lonely and being with herself again she would deal with; it now seemed like a good time to focus on herself again. She'd gained…insecurity and self-esteem issues ever since she'd been robotticized…

Her robotic limbs…sometimes they made her feel awkward…she didn't feel like she fit in…

She sometimes felt it made her look weird….and her self-esteem had suffered as she could never shake the feelings of looking like a weirdo…

She'd had the insecurities for a long time…when she was fooled by the anti's…

Even though there were others around her that had suffered a similar fate of being robotticized…she still couldn't believe that such a thing happened to her…how could she had known that this could be her fate…

It was something she always dealt with since it happened, and she never faced it again until now. She never spoke of it hoping it was something she would adjust to, but she knew it was something she just sort of ignored for a time. But it looked like it had come full circle…

Antoine's compliments made her feel better, but his sweet nothings never addressed her self-esteem problems. They never got to the core of why she felt this way…and that was understanding why she felt the way she did…his endless sweet but empty compliments had allowed her to ignore it for a time…

But now that he was gone so were the compliments that kept her distracted as she looked down at her new cybernetic arm…she still felt a sense of loss from the loss of her body parts…

And as she retreated into her mind her thoughts ran wild, and she began thinking that her limbs were ugly…

She frowned because it did look unnatural and made her feel uncomfortable about her looks. She squeezed her cybernetic hand into a ball…she of course didn't feel anything…she'd forgotten what it felt like to feel her left arm…

She then looked back up into the night sky as some of the clouds cleared and some stars became visible; her expression became sad again. To look on the bright side of things, there were things she wanted to do she knew would make her happy. She wanted to start another farm again. It was something and almost the only thing she knew. Though she liked it, and it gave her peace of mind; she liked to be away from it all. Farming was a quiet peaceful life away from all this war, something that was part of her family and her history. A life she wanted…

And she decided after a lot of thought today that she wanted to start another hair salon. Obviously not in the Knothole again as it didn't have the facilities for it, but maybe in New Mobotropolis if it ever got built…

She then shifted her arms off the window sill and used her organic hand to scratch an itch on her head. Her hair was getting longer since she decided not to cut it anymore and let it grow. She thought it would be a good idea to experiment on hairdressing with her own hair since she'd always cut it for combat reasons. When it got long she could learn what to do with long locks, and it might help her if she should ever start working with hair like she wanted to.

It had a few kinks now but she was fine with that; it would give her a chance to play around with it. She was thinking on getting Nicole to help her find the best things to create conditioners for hair cause she didn't know anything about chemistry or the such. Plus she thought long hair might look pretty.

She rested her arms back on the window sill listening to the wind blow in the surrounding trees; still looking up into the sky with a saddened expression. If there was one thing that countered her self-esteem problems it was her hair. It was why she liked hair so much; it was the one thing that made her feel pretty; the one thing left on her body that boosted her confidence. Though it was also a female thing as it was a woman's crowning glory; a part of her identity. It was the only part which females used to attract others. Hair gave reality to all other features of the face, and in her case made her feel better about her whole body.

Then her eyes fell from the sky and landed on the ground with a melancholy face. These problems she would be dealing with, it might be for some time…she was facing her problems right now…

Then Bunnie was startled out of her thoughts as someone knocked on her door. Bunnie whirled her head around then looked back to the window "Ovva here!" she said with a curious face.

Bunnie looked over to her left as Amy came walking around to her window "Where have you been Bunnie? I haven't seen you all day." Amy said with a big smile as she stopped near her window.

Bunnie mustered a halfhearted smile; she continued to lean on her window sill "Ahve jus been hanging round my hut today getting some R & R…"

Amy had an innocent but suspicious face "I see…" she rubbed her chin then poked her head into Bunnie's window to look inside her hut; Bunnie moved aside a bit. Then Amy stepped back, and Bunnie looked slightly curious at her.

Amy smiled "I just dropped by to tell you it's time for your watch duty tonight." Amy stretched her arms into the air and yawned "…I'm heading in…"

Bunnie nodded at her with a smile "Thet don completely slipped my mind, I'll head on ovva thare knaa…." she stood from the window sill.

Amy nodded with a smile as she turned and walked away; she glanced back at Bunnie "Oh and we have a meeting in the morning. See you at HQ tomorrow." Amy waved at her as she walked away.

Bunnie looked a bit bemused by Amy's strange behavior as she waved back at her walking away. But her face became neutral as she knew she was looking for Antoine. She didn't know where he'd been all day obviously, but she at least knew they weren't in the same place most of the day at once, and the others must have noticed it.

Bunnie sighed as she turned around and grabbed her hat off her bed and blew out the candlelight darkening her room. When she stepped outside and closed her door she put her hat on and made her way to the west side of the Knothole to one of the other village's exits. Like the cobble stone bridge on the other side of the Knothole, this outskirt was a dirt road that led out of the village. And after making her way there, walking past the few citizens that were still up and about this late, she spotted the small tree where they built a lookout outpost in the tree. It was a quiet walk as most of the Knothole seemed to be asleep, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Sonic up in the tree.

A frown came across her face glad that she only had to interact with him briefly; she still didn't feel like talking to anyone. She pulled down on the tip of her hat and walked onto the dirt road. And the clouds in the sky finally moved past the moon, and its light momentarily cascaded down on her before clouds partially blocked the moon again.

Sonic didn't notice her as she neared, and he looked to be slumped over as she walked over to the ladder on the tree. She kept her frown but looked slightly worried as she called up to him "Sonic?" she yelled up to him in a tentative tone.

There was a bit of a rattle on the wood above as she stared up into the wooden square opening; he responded seconds later "…Hmmm…I'm awake…" he said in a groggy tone.

Bunnie raised an eyebrow with a stern look staring up above; she placed her fist on her hips "You aint been sleepin have yiah?"

There was a short pause "…No…" he said in a guilty tone.

And in that moment Bunnie's frown contorted uncontrollably into a small smile. She couldn't hold it back because Sonic had been slacking off on his watch duty like he always had. That was one thing that hadn't changed about him, and Bunnie shook her head trying to lose her smile as she grabbed ahold of the ladder "I'm comin up." she said as she climbed up.

Sonic remained quiet as she climbed up, it was about nine feet so it was a short climb. Once she pulled herself up onto the wooden boards she walked over to Sonic sitting on a wooden crate, and he glanced over at her rubbing his eyes. She had lost her smile now though and now had a frown "Alright Sonic, it's my turn. Why don't yiah head off tah bed."

Sonic got up from his crate and yawned "…I'm not tired…"

Bunnie tried to stop herself again but she smirked "Nice try sugah hog." she said as she walked past him and sat down on the wooden crate.

Sonic was heading to the ladder and looked back at her with a neutral face "Your new limbs look like their treating you good."

Bunnie's smile became halfhearted again but he had peaked her interest; she actually felt like commenting on that "I actually need to watch my self, I don gone and broke two wrenches taday."

Sonic stopped just short of the ladder and turned around; his face now a smirk and he chuckled "Maybe you need a manual."

Bunnie giggled as she looked at him "Maybe I should have taken Nate up on thet. I think thare great an all but…" she paused and her statement came out as sort of a sigh.

"Hmmmm?" he said questioningly looking away from her out into the distance.

She did the same as she spoke as the smile faded from her face into a light frown "It anit got nothing tah do with tha functionality or nothen. They saved me and their stronga and fasta…but…" she paused again as this free flow of thought that had started up between them made her wonder if she should shut her mouth.

It had happened with such ease, but she did admit it felt good to talk to someone after what had happened to her today. She and Sonic used to talk like this from time to time, and since she apologized to him the other day, she was glad to get back to it. He had always been, other than Sally, a friend who she could confide in "…but…even with these new parts I still feel weird…out of place if yiah will…" she said with worry on her face.

Sonic nodded remaining quiet; his face was neutral as she continued "I know if I didn't have uhm I wouldn't be as helpful…but sometimes I still wanna be normal…" she said with a frown.

"Well you would be useless and helpless then." he stated sort of bluntly not looking her way.

Bunnie almost looked at him insulted but she quickly nodded in agreement as he was right; she looked back into the distance. It was a topic she broached on her own many times and came to the same conclusions. That if she hadn't been partially robotticized she would be completely useless. She wouldn't even be able to fight or help in the way she had now. She wouldn't have the gifts her robotic parts granted her.

Sonic spoke again still staring out into the distance "It's better than you know…"

Bunnie quickly lost her upset face and donned a thoughtful face; she remained quiet. As it was better than even wanting to be normal again as she would lose a lot more from what she gained from not being normal "You know you can fly…I can't fly…" he said finally glancing over at her with a smirk.

And Bunnie smirked back at him. She could fly…

And she would have never experienced such a thing without her limbs; flying was one of her favorite experiences that her limbs gave her. She would just be a normal individual who couldn't do anything if she was normal. Her strength and her agility would be gone. Bunnie gave him a wise look, narrowing her eyes as her lips curled up "Alrigh…I get it…" she giggled.

Sonic and she looked back into the distance as the moon came out through the clouds again. Bunnie had certainly considered being normal again many times, and came to the same conclusions as Sonic or anyone else. But the way he phrased it made her see it was better.

She would have rather experienced flying than not ever flying over her looks any day. It also made her feel a little better about dealing with her insecurities. This slightly different perspective made her feel a new understanding of her insecurities; in that her limbs made her feel insecure about how she looked. But she could also do great things now, and maybe she didn't really want to be normal as bad as she claimed.

And to think before she was feeling hesitant of briefly interacting with Sonic, but they sort of fell into their conversation without effort; as she didn't want to talk at first. But once they got to talking, despite how she was feeling, she actually felt pretty good talking now.

"What are yiah going to do if New Mobotropolis is built?" Bunnie asked him with a smirk staring out into the distance.

"Sit back and do nothing…" he said yawning again still looking out into the distance from the outpost; he held his smirk.

And Bunnie smiled as she let out her own chuckle. She and Sonic continued to talk for a while just talking about everything; though they both avoided Sally and Antoine. She got to know him a little more and might even have built more trust with him again. They had always had a lot of things in common, and as she glanced over at him with a smile on her face while he stared out into the distance, she felt like she had reunited with an old friend. She began to appreciate the abilities of her robotic parts more; happy to get more of an understanding of her insecurities and in turn herself. She felt like she had grown closer to her friend too…

She hadn't expected his company but she didn't mind as much now. In fact, she would go as far to say she was glad he was the one up on the watch out this night.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere at an undisclosed location in Robotropolis…<p>

Lien-Da walked into a dimly lit room with small circular white lights illuminating small sections of the room from the ceiling. Two Legionnaires closed the doors behind her, and she crossed her arms with an angry face. The five figures in the room stepped forward as the lights flashed on; completely illuminating the entire empty room and revealing Lien-Da's Legionized Co Grandmasters. Drago Wolf, held a scowl on his face; Razorklaw, held a calm yet deadly look; Beauregard Rabbot, held a frown on his face holding his cane; Mordred Hood, held a devious smile as he hissed; and Diesel, a former member of the Bear Pack biker gang cracked his knuckles with an upset face.

Everyone who was Legionized was forced into the Dark Legion by force. They all came from different simpler ways of life, struggling to survive in Mobius before either Eggman or the Dark Legions war machine steam rolled over them. To either join them or die, and Lien-Da had got to these individuals first. They remained silent as Lien-Da uncrossed her arms and began pacing in front of them "I have called you all here, because we have a problem we need to take care of."

She stopped pacing and stood in front of them with an angry face and placed her arms behind her back "You can return to your duties once we figured out how to deal with Sonic the Hedgehog so we can finally displace the Knothole…" she said in an irritated tone.

"What will you have us do Grandmaster?" Mordred hissed with a big grin.

Lien-Da frowned as she scanned the room looking at them all one by one "I was thinking with the full combined resources of the Dark Legion and Eggman at our disposal we might be able to pull off a large scale attack…"

Drago growled balling his fist "But…we already tried that…"

And Razorklaw interjected calmly "Sonic thwarted us…"

And Lien-Da raised her voice looking more upset "Don't you idiots think I know that! I want all of your people here to help as well."

Diesel looked slightly confused but held an angry face "But that's…everyone….Eggman won't count for our losses…"

Lien-Da's brows knotted looking even more angry; her nostrils flared a bit as her teeth gritted "While that's true, we can't deal with both. If we're going to take down Eggman we can't have setbacks from pest like that hedgehog. We need to deal with him now or he will mess up all of the Dark Legions plans. Plus it also keeps Eggman under the illusion that we are helping him; we're killing two birds with one stone."

"My chapter cannot sustain any more losses; we are barely making it by nowadays…" Razorklaw said with a frown.

Lien-Da growled as she was about to throw another idea out when she took a double take at Beauregard. She suddenly lost the anger on her face, and she blinked her eyes. The other Grandmasters looked confused as she stepped closer to him and neared closely to his face. Beauregard looked worriedly at her as her eyes lit up. The memory of that Freedom Fighter she encountered in one of their facilities flashed in her mind; there was a striking resemblance.

Then a malevolent smile came across her face as she took a step back "Baron…do you have any remaining family?"

Beauregard frowned knowing he couldn't lie; if she found out he was the consequences would be dire. Once Legionized, the implants inside of them could be controlled to manipulate their freewill. In other words, force them to do things and Lien-Da was in control. It was part of the deal when they forced them to sign up "Ahve still got some blood around…" he said with a worried face.

Lien-Da placed her hands on her hips; she held an arrogant smirk "You wouldn't happen to know a certain inhabitant of the Knothole would you?"

Then Beauregard gulped as he glanced over at the other Grandmasters who were now grinning malevolently as well. Lien-Da then rubbed her hands together as she suddenly had a whole different type of idea. An idea that changed their game plans with little to almost no cost to them….

* * *

><p>Oh boy Subtlety, I wonder if you caught it? Bunnie and Antoine have figured out their differences and separated to finally start to grow on their own. Bunnie and Sonic did some growing too. Sonic is getting better but hes changed and Antoine is going after the praise hes always wanted. Nicole is working on New Mobotropolis and Eggman and Lien-Da have plans in store for everyone! I hope this was worth the wait cause I'm thinking the next chapter will be a mix of character stuff and action. Tell me what you think. Later.<p>


	9. Disposition

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

* * *

><p>The next morning at the Knothole met with partially cloudy grey skies; there had been a few light showers the previous night and this morning. Bunnie knew firsthand being up for a good amount of time last night on watch duty. She was currently heading to the Freedom Fighters HQ for a regular meeting. She walked through the village along the muddy dirt roads nearing their HQ. Most of the citizens where indoors early today though as it looked to be more rain coming as there weren't many people out right now.<p>

Bunnie yawned stretching her arms into the air as she walked past a few huts and down the pathway to the HQ; there HQ sat in a small clearing in the surrounding forest mostly away from the main part of the village. She wiped her eyes with a neutral expression on her face as she lowered her arms. She didn't get much sleep; it certainly didn't help that she conversed with Sonic for a while last night. As she neared the entrance door of the HQ, a frown came over her face as she knew that the others finally noticed by now…

Her breakup with Antoine yesterday…

She had not even begun to get over it yet. But she was over her feelings on the matter and was glad it was over at the same time. She was glad to unexpectedly talk with Sonic last night as she had used to do in the past, as he had made her feel better. Especially since she had kept her feelings bottled up all yesterday and not talked to anyone about what happened.

But soon Bunnie reached the door, opened it, and went inside. It was time to face it…

Bunnie's frowned lightened as she closed the door behind herself and was greeted by Tails on her right sitting on a couch in their common room; it was fairly quiet this morning around HQ. Bunnie donned a weak smile and responded to him in a somewhat happy manner. Tails looked to be fiddling with a metallic device, and he went back to it after his greeting. She then smelled a delicious aroma coming from her left in the kitchen; Amy then rushed over to her with a tray with bread on it.

Amy wore an apron smiling brightly as she held up her tray, and Bunnie smirked as she took a piece. Amy watched Bunnie take a bite of her food, and Bunnie nodded with a smirk as Amy walked away from her with a big smile. She figured she was going to find Sonic. Bunnie also took notice of Antoine sitting at a table in the kitchen. She briefly glanced at him, but he did not look up from the bread he was eating; he held a blank expression.

Bunnie frowned a bit as she turned away from him and went to find the rest of the guys; she knew he had saw her. Bunnie then walked past the kitchen to the opening of the lab to see Rotor, Sally, Amy, Sonic, and Nicole inside. Rotor was standing in front of Nicole still sitting on the counter in the back of the room working her assembly; which Bunnie figured she still was working to complete the Master Nanite.

Sonic and Sally were not far away tasting the bread Amy had cooked, and Sally giggled as Amy tried her darndest to get Sonic's attention. But Sonic just raised an eyebrow at Amy's advances as he chewed his bread. Bunnie donned a small smirk at this because Amy didn't look at all deterred smiling brightly at him. The girl was still young but had endless enthusiasm. Bunnie also smirked because the scene was reminiscent of when Sonic was doing better emotionally and not so depressed as he had been lately. Bunnie smirked as she stared at him happy that he seemed to be getting a little better...

And that things at the moment could get better for everyone…

But she was snapped out of her thoughts when Sally called her name. She broke her eyes away from Sonic and looked over at Sally, who had a smile on her face. Bunnie blinked with a neutral expression putting the rest of her bread in her mouth and devouring it; she chewed on it as Sally spoke; Sonic and Amy glanced over at her as well "Good morning Bunnie, were going to start in a minute after Rotor finishes with Nicole." Sally said with a smile.

Bunnie nodded smiling back at her as she swallowed her food "Alright, auhum gona catch some Z's then…" she said as she let out another yawn.

Sally nodded at her still smiling "We'll wake you." she said as she turned her attention back to Sonic.

Amy did so as well as she tried to feed Sonic more bread, and Bunnie kept her smile as she walked away. Catching Sonic out the corner of her eyes still looking confusedly at Amy as she walked away…

Bunnie walked past the lab to the farthest room in the HQ; the bunks. Bunnie flipped on the single light in the room and made her way over to a makeshift bed of straw with cloth overlaid on top. This room was bare with brown walls but filled with many other makeshift beds. She sat down still with a smirk on her face and took off her hat. She scooted her back against the wall still sitting straight up, and once she was comfortable she placed her hat over her face. It wasn't long before she dozed off for a few minutes, then awoken by one of the Freedom Fighters.

She heard a knock and yawned as she pulled her hat from her face to see Antoine standing in the doorway. Her expression became neutral as she looked at him; he stared back at her with an equally blank expression "…Zis meeting is ready to start…"

Bunnie nodded remaining expressionless and staying silent. Antoine's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he promptly turned and left. Bunnie stared at the exit of the room for a few seconds before she sighed, and she frowned. She stood from her bed and put her hat back on and left the room switching off the light as she left.

She knew they were going to notice this time, and she felt nervous at the incoming embarrassment…

She walked back to the lab and joined everyone around their new round metallic table covered in papers. And Bunnie instantly felt more nervous, and her frown deepened; as she noticed, that everyone noticed that once again Antoine, and she stood farthest away from one another at the table. She stood next to Sally, and Antoine stood next to Rotor on the opposite side of the table. Though they didn't talk about the elephant in the room, and the Freedom Fighters looked slightly confused but dropped it for the moment.

Sally in particular, raised an eyebrow in confusion at the two. Then she looked down at the papers on the table "…Ok guys…" she paused shifting through all the papers until she found the one she was looking for. She placed it on the middle of the table and looked around at everyone with a frown "After that last little stunt we pulled, we have to set up new patrol routes around the Knothole…" she trailed off as she looked back down and grabbed a pencil off the table.

As Sally went on about their new patrol routines, Bunnie's frown only deepened as she started to become hyperaware of the guys. Her eyes darted around the table, catching everyone briefly looking at her and then looking at Antoine.

This standard meeting had turned into a nightmare…

Sally went on about how they needed to be extra careful the next few days because of their counter attack on Eggman, and also the information they had unearthed about Lien-Da. Bunnie's heart raced, and she frowned as Sally assigned them their roles. It was over pretty quick but Bunnie noticed that she had assigned Antoine and her separate patrol routes. As Sally finished the cat came out of the bag; Sally frowned as she finished writing on her paper but still looking down at it "You have your position's guys; we just need to hold out a little longer. Nicole didn't detect any activity from Robotropolis this morning so we might be safe for a little longer…" Sally looked up from her paper with a frown and looked at Bunnie.

Everyone glanced at Bunnie; Antoine included; and Bunnie kept her frown as Sally darted her eyes at Antoine briefly before looking back at Bunnie. Antoine frowned, and Sally spoke with a frown "…Are you ok with your route Bunnie?"

And Bunnie felt terribly embarrassed as everyone quickly looked away from her. They had realized the obvious by now. They did their best to keep neutral expressions; there was even an awkward cough in the silence. Bunnie frowned swallowing a lump in her throat and nodded "Yeah, thets fine Sally…"

And it became awkward in the room as the Freedom Fighters all understood that Bunnie's and Antoine's behavior lately was not just their imagination. Whatever had happened, they knew they weren't as close as they used to be…

Sally nodded with a frown at Bunnie who had trouble breaking eye contact with her. Sally then began gathering some papers off the table to offset some of the awkwardness. And some small talk started up as the Freedom Fighters got ready to go on with their day. Though everyone made it a point not to put any attention on Bunnie and Antoine.

Antoine was the first to leave saying he needed to go to Castle Acorn. And everyone suspected the obvious again because of his odd behavior. But everyone began to disperse to get on with their day. Rotor and Tails stayed at the HQ to help Nicole because she was nearing completion of the Master Nanite. Sonic and Amy went out on their own, though really Amy followed Sonic wherever he was going. Sally and Bunnie left the HQ together though as Sally saw it in her eyes during the meeting. They went somewhere private for some girl talk and to obviously talk about what Sally had suspected of her as of late…

It was a quiet day around the Knothole that day as Bunnie spilled the beans to Sally. However, the coming days brought a few surprises…

* * *

><p>Two days passed since their successful counter attack on Robotropolis, and there had been no retaliation from Eggman…<p>

As a matter of fact Nicole had detected additional power consumption from Robotropolis which they concluded was Eggman spending his resources to build something. Nicole wasn't exactly sure but she figured from the data she gathered that there had been additional damage from their attack. And they all generally agreed on the consensus as there had been no funny business for the last two days. It gave them a little more time to rebuild and more time to rest for whatever else that may come. They had still been cautious though…

So for the moment the Freedom Fighters took the extended break for as much as they could. At the moment, Bunnie was standing outside of Sally's hut waving at her as she walked away. Bunnie's smile lessened into a weak smile as she turned and walked away in the opposite direction. She and Sally had just been conversing about nothing in particular today, but Sally had some important business to take care of.

It was bright and sunny out and still early in the day. It was warm and just an all-around beautiful day and Bunnie kept her weak smile as she walked to nowhere in particular in the Knothole. The last few days had been uneventful while having some time to relax. It was now common knowledge that she, and Antoine had broken up. The guys didn't mention it so it was past her.

She even ran into Antoine a few times the last few days; they didn't have much to say to each other though, and they'd been on their ways. Nobody made a big deal out of it either so for the most part it was behind her as new things started opening up for her. She'd been getting used to being alone these last few days again. Though in her new time alone for introspection about what she wanted to do in her life, and what she wanted out of life, she felt something was missing…

A giant hole she felt…

Though that was most likely just part of her being single and alone with herself again, she hoped she could find what she was searching for. Bunnie stopped near the lunch house with a weak smile still on her face…she was kind of bored at the moment and was looking for something to do…

She wasn't on patrol today so she looked around seeing the lunch house half full and other parts of the Knothole being pretty busy with many people bustling around. Her eyes caught sight of the forest surrounding the village and decided she'd go for a fly. She still had some fuel leftover from their last mission; it was like going for a walk for her.

As she walked down the dirt path that led to the exit of the village she was ambushed by a few Knothole females. They complimented her on her new getup and praised her for protecting the village before they went on their way. Bunnie continued to walk to the exit of the village with a weak smile. The citizens were always very kind to her, but she caught one of them staring at her cybernetic limbs. And she felt a bit weird again…

Even though there were many robotticized citizens it still made her feel self-conscious about her own looks. Though she was feeling better about it now that she'd been alone for a second. And she began to notice how more aware she was becoming of everything around her again; now that she wasn't putting all her focus into a relationship. She'd never been in a relationship before Antoine, and it showed how unaware she'd become. She was starting to see more positive things about herself, and her self-esteem had grown a little. She really did enjoy flying; it let her escape for a while…

In the skies, it was like another world. It was like a special secret place with no one around and there was nothing like it…and she liked that her limbs allowed her to do that…

She guessed she never noticed how much she took things for granted because she was so focused on her relationship with Antoine. She actually had it pretty good for being robotticized too; most robotticized citizens couldn't fight like her. She still felt self-conscious about her looks but was also happy that she was somehow still alive. Without her friends she would have been six feet deep a long time ago. Especially Sonic…

Soon Bunnie had walked out of the main part of the Knothole and onto the cobblestone bridge that led to the forest, and she stopped and stared up at the sky to admire the beautiful day. It distracted her and she then placed her arms on the stone railing and leaned onto the bridge; staring up into the wispy clouds and the sun shining through them. She ran her organic hand through her hair as she stared up above. Her hair was starting to get longer; it was visible and more noticeable under her hat now. Sally had combed it the day she told her about her breakup…

Sally was shocked to hear it but didn't press her to hard. Sally had consoled her for most of that day and made her feel a lot better. She did ask why, and Bunnie simply replied they had their differences. On her end, Bunnie had also learned a tid bit about what had been going on with her and Sonic in return. Sonic was still doing alright, but they were taking a break; it was his idea. Sally was saddened by it but she remained hopeful in the future that he would open up to her again. She was happy that he didn't outright reject her as well. But for the most part they were done; at least until things in all of their situations with Eggman had calmed down, and they could maybe heal. From the things Eggman had done, the people, and the Freedom Fighters themselves had done to Sonic.

So, so far things had been progressing fairly smoothly. She herself was still sad about her breakup with Antoine, but it was starting to pass. Because she had begun to start noticing a lot more things around her now that she was not involved anymore too. Her relationship had really blinded her…

Bunnie kept her weak smile as she removed her arms from the bridge and broke her eyes away from the cloudy blue skies. She began walking across the bridge, knowing that she had stepped into realization when Sonic said what he said on the watch tower two days ago. Though she had considered her insecurities and self-esteem issues in the past, this time she became fully aware of them again. Because when she was in her relationship, she didn't really pay attention to anything else. She was so focused on getting her relationship right with Antoine, she'd forgotten about herself. And her issues just piled up over the years causing some of her own depression she just realized lately.

Never addressing why she didn't like the way she looked, the reality of being robotticized, and losing some of her body parts. And the sense of loss she felt of not being able to feel from her missing body parts. She realized in the last few days she hadn't given much thought to any of her issues in a long time…

And never addressing it let negative thoughts about it build up. Antoine and she were using one another as a temporary comfort blanket for all the problems in their lives…

When they got together…they were young, stupid, and in war times…

They were still in war times…

She could at least say it was a mistake she'd learned from…

She was glad their differences were exposed because, she was even less happy when she finally saw who Antoine really was. And all the things she didn't like about him over the years. She felt they were both better off now not to be living a facade of false emotions…they could both probably be happier now…

Because she was alone now she was finally starting to face her own issues and focus on herself. She had snapped awake lately…

As Bunnie reached the dirt road on the other side of the bridge, she began to run and a smile came over her face. She was becoming more aware in every facet of her life and starting to notice more around her. Her personal growth was hindered and did not grow in her relationship. She had lost herself thinking she needed Antoine, but in fact, it had blinded her; blinded both of them and now she was waking up. Less restricted as more avenues in life suddenly became more apparent to her. Things were constantly changing and life was sometimes hard to adapt to, but in time you hardly notice the difference and wonder what you were complaining about in the first place. Bunnie got into a good sprint before she activated her boosters and took off into the sky. It was quiet up above and with a clearer head, more possibilities opened up in her mind.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the Knothole, at Castle Acorn…<p>

Antoine had just walked across the drawbridge and into the inner part of the castle. There were three immediate paths you could take. To Antoine's left led to the multipurpose auditorium, straight ahead led to the throne room and other areas for the Royal Family, and to the right led to the Military HQ of the Kingdom of Acorn. The whole area and most of the castle were bare grey stone; there were not a lot of furnishings. Antoine held a frown as a large group of soldiers walked past him and out onto the lowered draw bridge. They had paid him no mind, but he watched them as they walked pass him with envy…

But then he turned back around and continued walking. He made his way to the right to the Military HQ to check on the status of some paperwork he had filled out. He kept his frown as the last few days had been rough for him; he'd been at Castle Acorn back and forth for the last few days. For one, he was really embarrassed when he had to come to Castle Acorn and cancel his marriage papers.

There were people in the line who had heard what he was doing, and though it was mostly unheard, it was still embarrassing for his failures to be public. He didn't know how most people saw it but to him, because he was of noble lineage, it hurt his dignity. It hurt his pride to think people around might be thinking his relationship failed.

Once inside the Military HQ Antoine looked around the fairly busy like area; which was akin to an office like area without all the furnishings; the Kingdom of Acorn was low on resources obviously in their conflict with Eggman. Antoine's eyes scanned the fairly full room for the receptionist desk; it was fairly quiet as well. There was a line, and he sighed as he walked past a few desks and got in line. This area led to other military training areas but this office like area was the entry point. Antoine kept his frown as the line began moving already; the men in front of him looked like they were signing up as well. He thought about Bunnie as the line began to move again…

He thought being with Bunnie would change him and make him better. But after their discussion where everything came out in the open he saw they never really had anything in common. And now he was starting to question if he had grown at all. In fact, he could say he might have regressed…

The line moved and he stepped forward with a frown still on his face. One of the reasons he went into his relationship with Bunnie was because he thought his life would just…change for the better….

But he was starting to see that didn't make much sense. Relationships were purported to be unions which made people stronger as society had always told him and the populace. But instead his life still wasn't changing in the ways he wanted…

And what he wanted was prestige…

And even though he missed Bunnie a bit he did not like that she wasn't on board with his ideals. So he cared less about her now…and he truly felt that way…

The line moved again; he was next. He kept his frown knowing his current apathy towards Bunnie was some of his arrogance rearing its head again. Something Bunnie always told him was not a great attribute. But his pride from already being embarrassed about the guys finding out about their breakup, and the silliness of them even considering getting married made him turn his nose up. His pride took presence over his logic again; he felt some distaste for Bunnie because of their split. He decided in the last two days of soul searching that he had left her behind, and he was going to rise. To a level of prestige in which he would be looking down on everyone…

He had a lot of work to do to top Sonic though…

Antoine was snapped out of his inner babble when the person in front of him stepped out of line with papers in his hand. Antoine kept his frown as he stepped up to a wooden desk with a female cat with yellow fur. She wore a blue dress, glasses, and a dry look on her face as she stared up at Antoine "May I help you sir?"

Antoine nodded with a frown "I wanted to check on the status of my application…"

The female cat raised an eyebrow "Name please?"

"Antoine D'Coolette." he responded with a frown.

The female cat smirked "…Your Armand's son…I'm sorry for your loss…" she said as she reached under her desk.

Antoine nodded as a slightly smug look came over his face; getting recognized made him feel important. His family's lineage made him sometimes feel above others, but he was broken out of his thoughts as the female threw down his papers on the desk. She opened his orange folder and read over it looking down at her desk "…Hmmm…let's see…"

Antoine frowned a little then she spoke again "…Your current status…rejected…" she looked up at him as her expression became dry again.

Antoine blinked in surprise…he was sure he had passed last time… "Why?" he asked simply making sure to keep his voice low from the people who had just recently gotten in line behind him.

"The current ranking officer states on your papers that you did not meet the minimal qualifying standard for our guardsmen." she closed his folder and put on another smirk "But we are always looking for new recruits in this dire time, would you like to retry your application?"

Antoine quickly tried to look dignified and put on a serious face "…Ummm…Yes…I would like to try again…"

The female nodded keeping her smirk as she pulled out a stamper and stamped his folder with a red-colored circle "Very good sir, be here bright and early if there is no interference at the Knothole."

Antoine nodded keeping his serious face and took his folder as she handed it to him. He stepped out of the line as the lady spoke "NEXT!" to the person in line behind him.

Antoine's tough face dissolved to a saddened expression as he briefly glanced back at the line, then down at his folder as he walked to the exit of the room. He felt shameful of his failure…this was the second time he'd gone through guardsmen training and failed…

He felt vulnerable and lost, and he thought of Bunnie as he walked out of the room. But as Antoine walked out of the threshold of the room, another person walked in and recognized him.

Fleming, a short and stocky beaver, a lieutenant in the Royal Army, and also an influential figure paused as Antoine walked past. His face lit up in surprise, and he grabbed Antoine by the shoulder and let him go "Antoine, how are you doing? Haven't seen you around in a while. What brings you by the castle today?" he said with a smile.

Antoine looked slightly surprised, and he smirked when he saw who it was. He and Fleming stepped off to the side to let others walk past them as they talked. Antoine rubbed the back of his head with a grin as his family was heavily involved with the Royal Family and military. So he knew all of the military officials, and they knew him "...Oh you know….zis things are fine on zis frontline…I was just taking care of some business…" he said with a smile lowering his hand.

Fleming chuckled heartily "You and the Freedom Fighters are still running tough eh? You know, before Armand passed I always talked about how he would have like to see his son take some sort of military role."

Antoine smirked "…Actually that's what I'm doing here…" Antoine held up his folder "…I have been having zis little trouble with the…"

But Fleming snatched the folder out of his hand, and he spoke with a big grin "Trouble? We'll see about that, I will not stand by while one of our top Generals, Armand's son, faces difficulties. I'll see to it personally. We won't have any troubles." he patted Antoine on the back.

Antoine blinked in surprise at the luck of the situation, but he went along with it; he smiled "I do not know what to say lieutenant Fleming."

They both began walking back into the military HQ "Hey wait a minute, were is your little sweetie bunnie lass? I didn't think you'd have time for real military training anytime soon; you can't leave a lady hanging." Fleming smiled as he laughed.

And Antoine donned a weak smile as he thought of Bunnie, but he shook his head "...I'm not doing that anymore…"

And Fleming did not question him any further on the matter, as he was prideful about helping him in his father's legacy and getting him into the ranks of the military. And Antoine didn't mind leaving Bunnie behind one bit anymore as he just got a small taste of prestige. His face became quite arrogant as he walked with Fleming. Because with this opportunity that had just popped up, she was a thing of the past as he was now on the road to real prestige. To the life he had always wanted…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Robotropolis a double, double cross was still ensuing...<p>

Lien-Da and many of her Legionnaires were currently in a power generator structure. Carrying out their main reason for being in Robotropolis, they were upgrading the city to run more efficiently with Dark Legion technology. Along with Eggman's own technology, there wasn't much in the way that slowed them down other than Sonic…

They were upgrading the city at a constant pace despite recent setbacks. There were at least twenty Legionnaires in this structure with Lien-Da at the moment, and they were packing up their tools to move to another area of the city soon. Lien-Da stood near a fairly large computer consul with three of her Legionnaires; staring at a newly renovated power generator on the other side of the room.

One Legionnaire was under and inside the computer console behind Lien-Da; a panel had been opened so they could install components. The whole of the building was still very rusty and dingy looking but everything they fixed was shiny and new. Including power lines and a few new metallic floor paneling's to cover delicate machinery.

Soon all her Legionnaires had left the station leaving her with her three Legionnaires. She held a smug smirk on her face; the generator was a shiny new looking metallic color. Her Legionnaires worked on the computer console behind her as she readied another part of her plans to overthrow Eggman. She turned around and peered over the shoulders of her Legionnaires to see that the progress of the new generator was almost complete. She took a step back with a smirk on her face knowing that Eggman probably had plans to get her as well. Since they were in his territory they couldn't put control mechanisms physically, and directly into the technology they built; he would surely notice, and it would cause problems for both of them.

Lien-Da continued smirking as she went over to a nearby toolbox and bent down; the Legionnaire working underneath the console continued working on her back. Lien-Da reached into the toolbox and grabbed a small black square like computer component "Are you finished?" she asked the Legionnaire.

The Legionnaire spoke while she continued to use her screwdriver "Yes Grandmaster…I'm just putting the finishing touches on this workstation…"

"Great." Lien-Da reached into the red tool box and pulled out another computer component as the Legionnaire pulled herself up "You forgot these…" she said with a sly grin holding up the parts.

The Legionnaire nodded quietly and took them from her. As the Legionnaire pulled herself back under the console, Lien-Da cackled in her mind. That, just like the many other look alike computer components they had planted would give them non-intrusive control when they needed it, without Eggman ever knowing…

But as she stood her smirk came off her face and formed into a frown. She had a feeling that Eggman had begun tampering with some things on his own too. She suspected that he had been messing around with their technology not long ago…it was a bit faster than she expected…she didn't think he'd be so bold so quickly…but it was Eggman…

Lien-Da began to rub her chin with a frown on her face, but she was snapped out of her thoughts by none other than Eggman himself. Eggman as per usual held an angry face noticing the toolbox next to Lien-Da "And what's going on in here?" he said from across the room as he, Snively, and two swatbots accompanied him; they walked over to her from a doorway.

Lien-Da's frown formed into a smirk again "This is going on." she looked to her Legionnaires.

The one working underneath the console pulled herself up again, and closed the panel as all three began typing into the computer console. Soon a large whir from the generator behind them all became louder and louder until it began to spin and a constant motion.

Lien-Da put her hands on her hips, and a smug look came over her face as Eggman raised a skeptical eye at her. Eggman then walked over to the console as the Legionnaires stepped out of his way. He quickly typed into the newly renovated console and after a few moments he turned around with a devious smile "Ho ho ho! Power usage is up by twenty five percent in this sector of the city. At this rate, we'll be able to eradicate the Knothole and the Freedom Fighters within a week or so." he placed his arms behind his back.

Lien-Da then donned a curious face "So you fixed all the damage already?"

Eggman then looked upset as he raised a finger in protest but he stopped short "…Of course I have! I'm a genius…there's just additional damage that was caused because of that blue rodent…" Eggman balled his fist as anger returned to his face and he pointed at Snively "Snively! What's on my schedule!"

Snively looked startled, and he fumbled his clipboard at Eggman's outburst; Lien-Da giggled "…I…Hmm…Sir…the damage to our fuel production facility…it should be fully repaired in a matter of hours…" he looked fearfully at Eggman who had suddenly lost his angry mood.

Eggman grinned again "See no worries…" he paused looking around the newly restored parts of the power station "While I'm here I think I'm going to have a look around and inspect…" he said staring at the new power generator.

Lien-Da held back the urge to show her disdain, and she kept the smirk on her face "Well my people are already en-route to your next specified location. I'm going to go oversee it." she said picking up the toolbox next to her.

Eggman nodded with a malevolent grin looking back at her "Do carry on…there is still much work to do…" he said as he turned away from her and began walking towards the new generator; Snively and his swatbots followed him.

Lien-Da remained quiet as she and her Legionnaires gathered what they had and headed for the exit of the station. An arrogant smile came over Lien-Da's face as she walked away. For if things went half the way planned the Dark Legion would have control over a new large territory to expand them even more. They would take Robotropolis for themselves and have a whole city to assault and eradicate the Kingdom of Acorn once and for all. And more so Eggman would be out of the way and there would be no one to oppose the Dark Legion…

* * *

><p>Sometime later back at the Knothole it was afternoon and getting on into the evening. The sun was still high in the sky, and it had been a radiant and peaceful day for the inhabitants of the Knothole. Days like these were rare to come by…<p>

Sonic smirked as he ran with Tails through the Knothole. Tails was running after him keeping pace with him as he honed his abilities. His speed was getting better the more he ran with him; he was able to keep pace with him no problem in the last couple of years. Tails laughed with a big smile on his face as he ran after him.

Sonic grinned as he ran past a few citizens who looked on in non-surprise as he and Tails running at fast speeds was common around the village. Sonic led Tails around a sharp bin near a cluster of huts where a few children were playing, and Tails ran right after him making the sharp turn accurately. He was starting to think he was ready for his first mission if they survived that long. Sonic glanced behind himself at Tails still smiling and running after him, and he turned back ahead and ran into a clearing away from the village. There was a lot of tall brown grass, and he ran into it to lose Tails but he also lost sight of Tails himself. He lost his grin, and his mind started to wander as he slowed down to sneak through the grass; great training for all the sneaking they did when they had to go to Robotropolis.

It was quiet as large gust of wind blew the tall grass around him as he walked around. He'd been feeling more balanced in his depression as time went on. Feelings were like clouds; they passed after a while. So for the most part he was stable in how things were going for the moment.

Sonic listened carefully as a frown came over his face; he thought he heard Tails getting closer. As he attempted to evade Tails he thought of all the positive things that had happened as of late. Nicole finally got the parts for her nanites which meant they would have some sanctuary against Eggman completely wiping them out. They had a successful mission a few days ago, they got a few days off. Overall it had been pretty good despite the few bumps in-between; most noticeably him dealing with Sally and the bit of friction with him and Bunnie. Oh and Bunnie making an apology was unexpected to him to say the least…as no one had really apologized to him like that other than Sally…

He was still a bit wary of his friends because of their past behavior, but it made him feel good that at least somebody cared. About his well being and the wrongs that were done. He hadn't expected that from Bunnie with the way shed been acting for a while now…

He wasn't sure exactly, but it showed that maybe she did care about their friendship or whatever…

Because up until a few weeks ago, he wasn't to sure what to think of Bunnie and all her recent callous actions. But now, at least for the moment he was slightly more trusting of her after her heartfelt apology. At least all his relationships hadn't fallen apart because Bunnie, and he had always been fiercely loyal and protective of one another. Well maybe more so in the past anyway…

But despite Bunnie's behavior as of late, it still seemed to be true. Their friendship had always been very close so maybe now that some things had cleared up things could continue on for the better.

Sonic stopped again when he heard rustling behind him in the tall brown grass. He kept his frown as he slowly and easily slid himself into a thick patch of grass next to himself. Making sure not to make too much noise until he was fully concealed again. Not too long after Tails jumped out to exactly where he had been standing; Sonic could see him from where he was. And he could see he looked confused as he scratched his head, but he held a determined face and walked right past him. Sonic waited until he was sure he was gone again and came from his hiding spot and went in the opposite direction as him.

He kept his frown as he moved through the tall grass, and a bit of a sigh escaped from him. Tails and he had been spending a lot of time together since he returned from space a few weeks ago. Tails had been trying to cheer him up as well as the guys. But their continued efforts didn't make him feel any better. Time was the only thing that could heal…

And his assumptions looked to be right as he was starting to feel a little better in the last few weeks. But now he had all these scars…

His past overconfidence had become more subdued, and the charisma that had spurred everyone along in the past had changed…

When he saw the ugly side of his friends…

Sonic kept his frown as he began making his way back towards the village through the grass. He pushed grass out of his way as he heard something behind him again. He'd saw how the others had been acting in his recent depression…

Because of them turning on him with the Metal Sonic incident, the Antis incident, and other incidents…

Their treatment of him put a strain on their relationships. He knew, they knew, they were in part to blame for his lost enthusiasm. He saw how his subdued behavior, and his decreased enthusiasm was starting to affect everyone. His confidence that used to energize everyone was missing, and everyone seemed to be less of everything…

When they turned on him, and he saw how ugly they could be he could not look at them the same…even as things got better…

But the damage was done. And he didn't know how to fix things…

So for the time being he let it go and hoped there was some universal force that would help them all out. Because if New Mobotropolis didn't get built soon they were all going to be gone…

Sonic had just about made his way out of the tall grass as he neared towards the Knothole again when he heard the noise behind him getting closer. Sonic then smirked a bit as he began to run and Tails burst through the tall grass behind him with a grin "You didn't lose me this time!" he said running after him.

"Maybe you are ready. Let's go get a snack." he said glancing behind himself as they ran.

Tails nodded with an enthusiastic face as they ran back into the village, passing by a large cluster of huts. The nearby residents of the Knothole watched them zoom past with a certain level of fondness. And for all the Freedom Fighters as they had been doing their best to keep them safe; the villagers surely knew they wouldn't have survived without them. And they were starting to notice Sonic was behaving in a manner they all knew him for. Though they didn't know Sonic was not as he seemed anymore…

* * *

><p>In less than a few minutes Sonic and Tails had dashed their way to the Freedom Fighters HQ. Only Nicole and Rotor were present, and they were in the lab. Once inside they made their way to the kitchen and found some fruits to eat. They sat down at the kitchen table and conversed but seeing as the kitchen was right next to the front door, they were first to see Bunnie as she walked in. They stopped chewing on their apples and looked at Bunnie curiously as she stepped inside.<p>

Sonic took another bite of his apple as Tails spoke; Bunnie held a weak smile, but she looked exhausted "What's wrong Bunnie?" Tails asked her with a curious face.

"Auhum jus a lil tired is all…" she took in a quick breath keeping her weak smile "…I anit been tired like this before though…I think I need someone tah look at me…" Bunnie said as another puff expelled from her lips.

Tails jumped up from his seat looking worried "Are your limbs bothering you again? Are you feeling sick again?"

Bunnie placed a hand on a nearby wall keeping her weak smile "I sure hope not…"

Sonic raised an eyebrow in confusion "You're patrolling pretty hard huh?" he said as he took another bite of his apple.

Bunnie then smiled, and Tails and she laughed giggling at Sonic's humorous statement. Bunnie smiled as she glanced over at Sonic "I aint on patrol taday…I'm thinken maybe I should have though…my curiosity may have gotten tha best of me taday..." Bunnie said as she removed her hand from the wall and walked towards the lab "Is Rotor or Dr. Quack around?" Bunnie asked them both.

Tails donned a curious face as he followed her out of the kitchen "Rotor's in the lab with Nicole."

Sonic got up from his seat and followed them both as he bit into his apple. The trio found Rotor and Nicole in her same spot; in the back of the room on a counter still attached to her assembly. Rotor glanced back at all of them with a smile "Hey guys!"

"Good evening everyone." Nicole responded to them.

"Same to yiah." Bunnie said with a weak smile.

But quickly Rotor noticed just like Tails and Sonic that Bunnie looked exhausted, and he donned a curious face "Say Bunnie, you don't look to hot."

"Ahve been getting thet a lot taday…" Bunnie said with a weak smirk.

Rotor donned a serious face and pointed over to an operating table "Well have a seat, and we'll hook you up and see what's going on."

Bunnie nodded with a weak smile and complied as she walked over and sat down on one of the metallic operating tables. Her metal legs clanked against the table as she sat, and she took off her hat.

Then Rotor looked at Sonic and Tails looking slightly serious "Could you guys go get Dr. Quack? I know the technical stuff, but he's the brains when it comes to medical."

Sonic and Tails nodded and looked at one another "I'll race you!" Tails said with a confident face.

Sonic smirked "You're on."

The two raced off without another word leaving Rotor, and he shook his head with a smirk. While they were gone, Rotor questioned Bunnie on her condition to try to piece together what was going on with her. All the while he assisted Nicole as she called to him. It took less than a few minutes for Sonic and Tails to return with Dr. Quack. And by that time Rotor had an assumption about what was going on with Bunnie. And as he shared his hypothesis with Dr. Quack he agreed as well. Bunnie's exhaustion was non threatening, in fact it was something that was common and had happened to her in the past a few times.

Dr. Quack removed his stethoscope from his ears with a serious face and stepped back away from Bunnie "You're gonna be fine Bunnie."

Bunnie smiled weakly "Thass great news Doc."

Sonic and Tails waited in another room while Dr. Quack and Rotor did a checkup and diagnostic on her. Rotor just removed black cables that connected to her from a computer from her exposed cybernetic arm; exposing all the complicated wiring and parts inside her new cybernetics as the casing was removed. He took the cables that he just unconnected to a nearby computer and placed them away from the operating table. Then walked back over to Bunnie and grabbed a special wrench and the metallic casing of her arm on the operating table to reattach to her.

While Rotor worked on her left arm Dr. Quack glanced back behind himself "You guys can come in now!" he spoke up.

And with goofy grins Tails and Sonic poked their heads out from the open doors of the lab "The coast is clear?" Sonic asked him with a smirk.

Dr. Quack nodded with a serious expression "Our checkup is over."

Bunnie smiled weakly, and Rotor chuckled as Sonic and Tails then walked back into the lab and joined them at Bunnie's operating table. Though they lost their grins and looked curious again. Sonic scratched his head looking confused "So what's going on?"

Dr. Quack crossed his arms looking at Tails and Sonic, "Bunnie is fine."

Tails smiled "That's great; we get enough bad news every day."

Rotor just finished putting Bunnie's arm back together when Nicole called him again. He walked back over to her, and Bunnie smiled at Tails "Aw, thank yiah sweetie."

Dr. Quack continued with a serious face "This is a simple case of overexertion, which in Bunnie's case her robotticization makes different circumstances than normal individuals. This is also not new for Bunnie; this has happened before with her early body parts. We had to learn and adapt to deal, and understand this new organic robotticization physiology in our patients."

Sonic frowned slightly glancing over at Bunnie who still looked tired and back at Dr. Quack "So this will like wear off?"

Dr. Quack nodded with a serious face "Compared to her old limbs, Bunnie had to use the abilities of her old limbs much more sparingly. Her new cybernetics are much more efficient in energy output."

Sonic looked more confused keeping his frown "Energy?" he questioned wondering what that had to do with anything.

Tails looked confused as well "What do you mean Dr. Quack?"

And Nicole responded aloud from where Rotor was standing near her counter; everyone looked over and listened "Bunnie's physical structure is unlike normal individuals, partial robotticization has caused beyond normal functions to occur in her body."

Dr. Quack nodded; Sonic and Tails looked intrigued; Bunnie smiled weakly as this was not news to her, and Rotor nodded with a smile standing over next to Nicole "Nicole has helped us tremendously in figuring a lot of that out." Rotor added.

Then Nicole spoke again on her assembly "…Rotor? I require more azobenzene…." she said as one of the mechanical arms on her assembly moved and buzzed against the glass she worked on.

"I'll make some more right now." Rotor said with a smile as he walked over to another table in the lab filled with beakers and oval-shaped chemical glasses.

Sonic and Tails looked back at Dr. Quack still looking intrigued, and he continued where Rotor left off; his face serious "Like many partially robotticized individuals their flesh and metal have become fused. Sometimes the body might reject the foreign material and can be fatal, but those who do survive have a mix of chemical and mechanical reactions…powering their body…so to speak…" Dr. Quack rotated his hand.

Sonic nodded with a slight frown and Tails looked on in awe "That's kinda cool…"

Bunnie chuckled at Tails positive reaction despite the subject being very sensitive to her. And Dr. Quack continued "Of course we all, organic beings, are walking chemical reactions and is how all are bodies are powered. In Bunnie's case there are small power supplies built into Bunnie's cybernetics that help power her limbs, but as a result of the fusion process of robotticization the energy that helps power her limbs also powers a bit of her physical self. And the chemical, organic side, her living self partially powers her cybernetics. They are interconnected…they feed off one another…"

Sonic remained quiet and nodded his head again keeping his slight frown. Tails scratched his head looking confused now "But wouldn't that mean Bunnie is super or something?"

Dr. Quack smirked slightly "Not exactly. Because of this strange interconnectivity of Bunnie's mechanical side feeding energy into her physical body; with the mechanical side of the robotticization being more cause of this. Her robotticization and lately her new cybernetics energy give her physical self beyond normal attributes like increased strength, stamina, etc. And subsequently the living half of her body feeds energy into her cybernetics giving them extra power when needed. And Bunnie's new limbs are more efficient and generate longer lasting power for her limbs which is also transferred to her physical side."

Bunnie then spoke up as she put her hat back on her head; they glanced at her. She continued to smile weakly "When I fly or use any of my stuff I always feel a tingaling sensation."

Sonic kept his slight frown remaining silent and Tails looked intrigued. Dr. Quack kept his serious face "It would be hard to tell as an outside observer. In an extreme case if Bunnie uses too much energy it could be fatal as it would drain from the living half of her body, and the power generated by her cybernetics. So in the simplest terms, if Bunnie uses too much energy she'll become fatigued. Which is not an issue most times than not."

Tails then spoke with a bright smile "Wow your so cool Bunnie."

Bunnie smiled and giggled at Tail's compliment because robotticization was the opposite of being cool. But she appreciated the positive feedback from the young fox.

Sonic lost his slight frown looking confused again; he glanced over at Bunnie "What where you doing Bunnie?"

And Dr. Quack, Sonic, and Tails looked at her with varying degrees of curiosity on their faces. Bunnie shrugged and donned a sheepish grin "…I was out for a couple of hours…jus pushing my new limbs to see how far they'd go…" she paused for a moment as she saw they weren't buying what she was saying, and she sighed and chuckled with a weak grin because she was still tired "…Aight…I maybe was throwing boulders, breaking stuff, using my arm cannon…flying as fast as I could for a couple of hours straight…I was curious to see how far I could go knaa…"

Sonic donned a wise look "Of course." he stated simply mocking her as she tried to pretend what she was saying was obvious.

Tails, Dr. Quack, and even she giggled at Sonic's response, and Bunnie's sheepish grin returned "…My curiosity got tha best of me…I went a little crazy havin some fun but I wont be doin it again no time soon…"

Sonic kept his wise look glancing at Tails "We'd better watch out Tails, with all of Bunnie's new stamina she might put us out of work."

Tails chuckled, and Bunnie gave Sonic a wise look of her own smirking at him "Maybe when I learn how to use these thangs betta, until then y'all betta watch out."

Sonic cracked his knuckles smirking and closing his eyes "Looks like I gotta step up my game."

As Sonic seemed to be in the groove of his enthusiastic self for a moment, Rotor, Dr. Quack, and, Tails chuckled because of his invigoration. And Bunnie stared at him with her weak smile as his enthusiasm sparked life into the room like he used to do more in the past. She stared at him seeing that he hadn't completely gone away and was happy to see…him…again after all that had transpired…

But then they all heard the front door to the HQ open and shut and moments later Sally walked into the lab. She held a smile as she joined them all "I thought I heard something. What's going on?" Sally's eyes landed on Sonic who kept his smirk.

Bunnie blinked breaking her eyes away from Sonic as Sally had entered the room, and she held her weak smile because she was still tired "I shot myself in tha foot taday."

Dr. Quack's expression became slightly serious looking to Sally "Bunnie overexerted her new cybernetics, and she's just got to take a little time to relax and recover."

Sally smirked at Bunnie "Well I suppose that solves where you've been all day, but maybe you could save some of that aggression for Eggman huh?"

"Don't yiah worry Sally girl, I think everyone's got enough righteous anger for thet." Bunnie said with a weak smile.

And just as Bunnie finished speaking Nicole spoke up, and everyone glanced over at her "Excuse my interruption of your banter but I have important news that has just become available."

Everyone but Bunnie who sat on her operating table because she was tired walked over and surrounded Nicole on her counter "What's going on Nicole?" Sally asked with a curious face.

Nicole responded in her usual neutral tone "I have completed the assembly of the Nano Machine."

And everyone's eyes lit up in surprise, and they all smiled; Rotor looked shocked more so than everyone else "I thought it would take a few more days..."

"Because of the extra materials collected on our last mission production has completed ahead of time. Now that the nano machine is complete, I can start work manipulating the nano structure of this nano machine to create nanites. I will first start by creating the Master Nanite." Nicole said in her neutral tone.

Everyone looked surprised but happy as Nicole finishing at this moment was so abrupt. They had been impatiently waiting the last few days and hadn't urged her about it "I guess our new home is in the wakes…" Rotor said with a smile.

Everyone looked around at one another with budding hopefulness on their faces. It was silent for a moment because every day, week, and month there home was being destroyed slowly by Eggman and the Dark Legion. If New Mobotropolis could become real it all gave them a momentary feeling of reprise. Because they knew Eggman was getting closer to destroying them…

But then Nicole spoke again "I also have other important information."

"Is it good news?" Tails asked her with a smile.

Nicole's response was unclear "I do not know what this information is classified as. I am detecting an incoming call…"

And Rotor and Tails looked over at a small computer on a counter not far away looking confused; Rotor lost his smile "I don't see any…"

But he was cut off as the computer started to beep and Rotor and Tails walked over to the computer. Rotor began to type into the keyboard as Sally looked back at Nicole; obvious that Nicole had detected the signal before it reached them; Sally frowned slightly "Who is it Nicole?"

Nicole's tone was neutral "The incoming signal is from a Grandmaster in the Dark Legion; Baron Beauregard Rabbot."

Just as Nicole spoke, and everyone looked shocked hearing who was calling, Rotor turned around with a frown taking a step back from the computer on the counter. On the screen was Bunnie's uncle, her remaining family and a grandmaster to a chapter of the Dark Legion; the very ones they were fighting against.

Bunnie's eyes widened in surprise, and she hopped off her table and stared at the screen. Rotor didn't answer the call as he had to allow the signal. But as Beauregard waited on the screen he could not see them yet. And Bunnie instantly looked worried and torn. She hadn't spoke to her uncle since she ran away….

She hadn't known what had happened to him, or known anything else she didn't already know about her family…those reasons being partly why she ran away…

Now everyone in the room held a frown wondering what to do now. It was immediately fishy that they were getting a call from their enemy. Bunnie's eyes couldn't break away from the face on the screen, then she looked worriedly at the guys, and they all looked at her just as confused. She didn't know why her uncle was calling…she hadn't been in contact with him in years…

But now for all the good things that had happened in the last few days, she just got a bad feeling in her gut. And whatever this was could not be a good thing…

* * *

><p>Something's changed in the writing of the chapter. It was originally was going to be advancing the plot more but I pulled back because I got some new ideas. So this chapter is another in-between chapter. It was hard to write to because it's like I had to rewrite and start the story all over again. Now that Bunnie and Antoine are separate I have to redevelop them all over again so I built up some character development in this chapter.<p>

I hope you were paying attention because I dropped a lot of innuendos and implications of what's about to happen in the next chapter. For how slow this chapter was I promise you, the next chapter is going to be epic. I got some great stuff ready to write, you're gonna like it I know it. So yes this chapter was a little slow but the next chapter is gonna blow your pants off. Just wait hehe.

So Bunnie is starting to become independent again and notice things and people she didn't before. Sonic is starting to regain some momentum. Antoine is starting to crave his path a little. Nicole is about to create the Master Nanite. And Eggman and Lien-Da are on the brink of unleashing their plans! So watch out for the next chapter coming fairly soon! It's going to be epic! Later.


	10. Strange Ways

_**Disclaimer - **_I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

Hey! I'm back! Before you get started there are a few things I need to mention. One is I have spruced this entire story up. I've been away for too long but I've been busy :) I wanted to give a shout out to **Heartless demon wolf **for the criticism of a previous chapter. Thank you for the criticism, I've tried to improve. The second thing you will notice about this new chapter and the whole story is I have fixed up all of Bunnie's dialogue, and other dialogue. I changed all her accent dialogue to new words I made up cause I couldn't find any, and I think all her accent words are much better now. The pronunciation of the new words I guess make since when you read them lol; you'll see.

And the third thing you will notice about this latest chapter, and the rest of the story is the whole story now and this new chapter is like 98% grammatically error free. That's right there are almost zero spelling mistakes from now on. No joking here. I've been busy improving all my stories. There is one more thing that I've been up too but I haven't got to that yet. But please leave any criticism if you have any and enjoy!

* * *

><p>Bunnie's eyes remained wide as she looked away from the guys and back at the computer screen on the nearby counter. Her eyebrows drew together in worry, and she didn't blink. Her mind went blank as she tried to come to some kind of reasoning for such an unwarranted call, but nothing came to mind. She stared at her uncle for a few moments longer before Sally broke the silence; everyone looked at her keeping their frowns.<p>

"It's probably better if you talk to him alone Bunnie. Maybe if he thinks you're alone he'll respond different than if we're around." Sally said with a stern look.

But Dr. Quack interjected as they all silently nodded heading for the doors of the room "No kidding, who's to say he doesn't have someone on his end listening in."

Bunnie nodded at them all still looking astonished and Rotor glanced back at her as they closed the doors to the lab; he held a serious expression "Just press the enter button to accept the call."

Bunnie nodded again with her wide eyes as they closed the doors to the lab; the doors made a click. And their serious expressions only made her feel even tenser. So she turned her head back towards the computer screen swallowing a lump in her throat as her shocked expression faded. Her brows remained wrinkled in worry, but an upset expression came over her face. She had a feeling this could bite her in the butt…

She then walked over to the computer screen knowing she was thinking what everyone else was thinking. That whatever this was it was certainly their enemy trying to trick or trap them. Bunnie scanned the keyboard of the computer and found the enter key and pressed it; on the bottom left of the screen it showed it was starting to connect. Bunnie kept her upset expression as the computer connected and Beauregard blinked his eyes as the computer connected, and he could finally see her.

He held a light frown as he spoke; he raised an eyebrow at her **"Bunnie? Niece? What luck, I was looken tah speak with you. I don't have much time."**

"_Uncle Beauregard…" _she muttered with her upset face.

He pulled down on the tip of his hat **"Are you alone? I need to speak with you?"** he said with a frown.

And Bunnie's mouth pinched together looking suspicious. She figured she'd play along because she wasn't sure if he was lying; because as far as she and everyone was concerned he was their enemy. And her brows knotted looking even more upset _"Wat are yiah doin calling here?"_ she whispered to play along.

Beauregard spoke in a serious tone **"I wanted to say goodbye to you in person…"**

But even though her upset face softened a bit she still looked upset _"I know what yiah've been doing…"_

Beauregard didn't look too deterred about her comment though; he continued frowning **"Yes…I am a Grandmaster of the Dark Legion now. But that is besides the point. I'm maken this call in private; I'm putting myself in danger making this call. All I ask is you hear me out…"**

And Bunnie's upset face softened again, as worry consumed her face. She knew despite her better judgment, she was being much more lenient on him even though he was their enemy. She had a soft spot for him because he was her family…

"_My friends will be back any minute…"_ she said in a rushed tone.

Beauregard nodded "**There are some thangs happening with my chapter…and I won't be coming back…"** he paused **"…I was hoping I could meet with you in person so I could say my last goodbyes…"**

Bunnie remained silent looking at the computer screen with a worried expression. It need not be said there was nothing she could do or would even want to do to help him as they were currently in a conflict with each other. That and even though there were some issues between her uncle and herself, she felt slightly sympathetic if his fate was sealed. And if what he was saying was true she also did not feel bad for him because he was their enemy actively plotting against her.

And to his request she wasn't quite sure what to say; she spoke as her brows remained wrinkled in worry _"Yiah want me tah come meet yiah while we're fighten?"_ she said in a skeptical tone.

And Beauregard looked slightly angered **"…This may be the last time I see you…I can put my differences aside for a minute…"**

Bunnie looked torn as she paused for a moment again. Her mind raced as she wondered how much of it was a trap. And if she rejected it now it would be over. She was also wondering just like the guys if he was trying to get some information out of them. At the same time it was a personal matter for her…

He was the last remaining family member she knew of…

And her face remained torn, but she quickly thought of a solution. She wanted to go despite her suspicions, so she decided she'd accept and talk to the guys to see what they should do _"…Auhum not sure about thet…where are yiah?"_

"**I'm at an outpost in tha Great Desert near Sand Blast City. We can talk here in private; there is also something I need to talk to you about."** he responded as he frowned at her through the screen.

"_Auhum gonna have tah think about this…"_ she said as her frown returned.

"**Well if yiah change your mind, I'll be around; come round the rear. And it has to be tomorrow…I'll be gone by then…" **Beauregard nodded at her.

Bunnie nodded silently at him, and he did the same as the line suddenly went dead. Bunnie's frown deepened as she looked at the computer screen filling with black and white static. She looked for a button to turn the computer off because she didn't know how, and she didn't know if it was still connected. She also didn't know if she could still be heard so she instead reached behind the computer and pulled the plug from it. Once the power drained, and the computer shut off she turned around.

"Tha coast is clear y'all!" she spoke at the closed doors of the lab.

And they opened the doors still holding their frowns as Dr. Quack, Sonic, and Sally went over to Bunnie. Tails and Rotor went over to Nicole on the counter in the back of the room and had Nicole trace the calls signal.

Sonic scratched his head raising an eyebrow in confusion "What was that all about? Was he serious?"

Bunnie's eyes downcast to the floor slowly shaking her head and Sally crossed her arms "This has to be some sort of deceit. He can't actually think you would fall for that. Right Bunnie?" Sally asked her with a curious face.

But as Bunnnie lifted her head Sonic, Sally, and Dr. Quack blinked in surprised seeing Bunnie's serious expression. The sharp look in her narrowed eyes said otherwise; Sally donned an upset face "You can't be serious Bunnie…"

Bunnie's lips stayed curled down into a frown "Auhum dead serious…"

"You're seriously considering going into enemy territory alone? That fellow has probably sent out attacks against the Knothole…" Dr. Quack said as even his eyes narrowed in frustration.

But Bunnie darted her eyes away from them turning sideways away from them all "…Look…y'all don't know him like I do…I get thet…"

"I think all we need to know is that he's working with Lien-Da…" Sonic said with a disapproving stare.

Sally and Dr. Quack silently nodded in agreement with Sonic, and Bunnie nodded with them. But she turned to explain her reasoning as she glanced at them with her brows narrowed in frustration "…Some stuff happened with my uncle in tha past…with all my blood in tha past….and even though we got problems we've always been tolerable of one another…" she paused turning her head away from them again "…I know I aint seen him in a while…but whatevva this is, maybe he just wants to talk…if thets even tha truth…" she added.

"Probably not…" Sonic said with a frown.

"I think we can all agree on that." Sally said with a skeptical face.

Sonic and Dr. Quack nodded in agreement as Tails and Rotor joined them. Bunnie then turned back to face them all "…I'm with y'all too but…I need to know…he's tha last one…" she said with her frown.

"I'm of the advisory that this is probably not a good idea Bunnie." Rotor said with an upset face.

"I don't trust him neither...but this is a personal matter. I'll talk to him real quick and get out…" Bunnie said with her narrowed brows.

Sonic silently shook his head while the others didn't look convinced either. But after a few moments, seeing the unrest on Bunnie's features Sally sighed closing her eyes. She shook her head but reopened them with a stern look "…I don't like the sound of this Bunnie…but maybe we could make a plan…"

"Precautionary measures like trips into Robotropolis?" Tails said with a curious face.

"That sounds good. We could make sure you stay safe Bunnie if this trip of yours is short." Rotor said looking skeptically at her.

"I'll make it quick…ah promise…" she said in a determined tone.

Sally's mouth was pinched into a frown "Sonic?" she looked to him "Could you go get Amy and Antoine? We need everyone here…"

Sonic nodded but his deep frown remained on his face as he turned to leave the lab. Dr. Quack accompanied him as he had patients he needed to attend to. And Bunnie, Tails, Sally, Rotor, and Nicole cut in occasionally as they gathered around their metal circle shaped planning table. The plans they began to come up with were intricate, and the Freedom Fighters were literally on Bunnie's tail every step of the way…

* * *

><p>The next day…<p>

Contrast to the decent weather the previous day, this morning the Knothole was faced with darkness. The darkened skies and cool weather left an ominous feeling around the Knothole. Most people were already indoors since there was sure to be rain soon. A big storm was brewing indicated by the less than favorable weather this day. The dark gray cloudy skies and cool air certainly didn't lend to the nervous tension the Freedom Fighters felt in their HQ this morning; the ones that were present anyway. Bunnie had just stepped through the front door with Nicole in her hand. Bunnie held a small smile as she headed straight towards the lab looking around for anyone.

It looked to be empty until she spotted Sally and Tails in their lab in the back by their computer. And Sally greeted her turning away from the computer with a smile "Good morning Bunnie."

Bunnie smiled back at her as she walked over to Sally; Bunnie then handed Nicole to Tails. Tails took Nicole and ran over to Nicole's assembly in the back of the room "We've been waiting on you Bunnie." Tails said in a jovial tone.

Bunnie turned her head in their direction "So'ry I took so long, an thanks for tha help Nicole." she said as her smile lessened.

"You are welcome Bunnie." Nicole responded to her from her counter as Tails hooked her back up to her assembly.

Sally smirked at her as a look of slight irritation came over Bunnie's face "What were you and Nicole doing exactly?"

Bunnie's brows narrowed into irritation as she scratched her head with her hat on; she wasn't looking at her "Oh nothen to important…" she trailed off scratching her head even harder "An I think I stopped being tired not long afta I left HQ…"

"Well it seems your downtime when you push yourself is far shorter than in the past Bunnie. And your energy lasts much longer considering how fast you recovered." Sally looked at Bunnie as the irritation on her face grew.

Sally then giggled as soon Bunnie ripped her hat from her head to reveal her messy light orange hair. It was full on knots and tangled together like she had been trying to style it. Bunnie sighed as relief washed over her face as she scratched the right spot on her head; Sally raised an eyebrow with an amused expression "Your hair is getting long Bunnie…I know you said you were growing it out…"

Once fully satisfied she put her hat back on smiling at Sally "Bad hair day…no pun intended..." she paused seeing Sally's amusement "For yiah information its reaching my shoulders knaa."

Sally nodded "I can see…" Sally looked at her hair nearly touching her shoulders now "…Its going to look great once you fix that…up there…" Sally giggled again.

Bunnie rolled her eyes playfully at her "Watch it knaa…"

Sally's amusement slowly faded through, and she donned a sympathetic face "…Are you ready to go?"

Bunnie's face became serious as her brows furrowed into determination "I'll be fine…"

Sally looked her in the eyes for a few moments longer before she looked back at the computer screen in front of her. She typed as she spoke "Be careful…" she stated with hesitance.

Bunnie nodded silently keeping her determined face as she looked at Sally type into the computer. Because even though the guys weren't on board with her plan, they respected her space. They all knew how personal her family business was to her so they were respectful enough to let her try her plan within reason. So it remained quiet in the lab as they waited for everyone to show up before she was sent off.

Because there were a dozen precautions in place in case something should go wrong. First Tails, Rotor, and Nicole quickly built a two way communicator for her cybernetics, so they would be in contact with her the whole way. They also had other communication devices, so they all would know what was going on the whole time.

Because second most importantly, the Freedom Fighters themselves were heading out after her. More so Sonic, Amy, and Antoine. They were going to trek a certain distance to be closer to her if something went wrong. With Sonic of course being the one who was going to be farthest out and closest to her because he could move the fastest. There were many other precautions, but those two were the ones they were relying on the most. Because even during their talks yesterday Bunnie even admitted she had a bad feeling about this…

* * *

><p>It was still early morning by the time the rest of the Freedom Fighters showed up. Bunnie had just activated her boosters and took off into flight, waving down at the guys at the entrance of their HQ as she flew away. As she went higher into the sky, she saw Sonic, Antoine, and Amy head down the path of their HQ towards the Knothole. Tails, Sally, and Rotor went back into the HQ. She held a frown on her face as she flew over a large section of trees then over the whole of the Knothole. Antoine, Amy, and Sonic were trekking out after her now that she was leaving. She could see just a few people still about down below; the grey clouds and the dark gloominess of the day remained as she flew.<p>

They had refueled her boosters, found out where Beauregard's outpost was at, and went over their plans again before she took off. And the feeling of apprehension was present the whole time. The main reason they all felt uncomfortable was the fact that they were currently fighting against the Dark Legion. And Beauregard was at this time their enemy…

Bunnie flew over the whole of the Knothole and over many trees, moving over one direction of the forest the Knothole was surrounded by. This high up she could see everything. To her right in the distance, she could see lightning flashing over the darkened city of Robotropolis. Behind herself and in her immediate vicinity, there was forest as far as her eyes could see. And straight ahead of her, coming up was a lot of open plains. It was going to take her a half an hour to fly to the Great Desert. Her lips remained curved down, and she held a deep frown on her face. A building nervous sensation build up in her stomach the farther she got away from the Knothole…

She didn't trust her uncle one bit because of his affiliation…but she didn't have any family left...she heard what happened to the rest of her family…

She hoped she wasn't making a rash decision…she hoped her insecurities, and loneliness weren't part of a driving force for this decision she just made…

But in the back of her mind, she knew the answer…

She did feel lonely as of late…lost because of the guilt she felt from recent actions…

A part of her wanted to see her last remaining family hoping she'd find a connection somewhere…

Because she'd been feeling a deep remorse as of late from her actions….and she was willfully overlooking it because it was hard to face…

So Bunnie flew through the cool afternoon air for about a half an hour, flying out of sight of the forest of the Knothole and Robotropolis. The gloominess of the day was broken up as she entered the desert region; the clouds were broken up. And the impending storm back near the Knothole was not nearly as present. Though it was still white and gray out as the sun tried to inch through the partly cloudy skies. She kept in contact with the guys too, calling them every ten minutes or so. And they were ready and awaiting her.

She began spotting familiar canyons they had taken part in battles in over the years. And she searched around for a good while until she spotted Sand Blast City still comfortably snuggled into the crevasse of the many cannons in the Great Desert. But as she turned direction flying towards the city, she noticed something was amiss. She could see the city and her supposed uncle's outpost; which resembled a fairly small military base a small distance away from the city.

Her eyes narrowed keeping her frown as she flew faster towards the outpost. As she neared closer she could see there was some kind of conflict going on…

Her uncle hadn't told her that…

And she guessed that the Dark Legion was in this region to take over the oil and take over Sand Blast City. This was definitely the reason her uncle was here, and the people of the city looked to be doing an assault on her uncle's outpost today. She was also starting to get in seeing distance, so she swerved to the left to go around the back side to her uncle's outpost. She lifted her cybernetic arm to call the guys; she held a deep frown "Come in, anybody listenen?"

She looked down below as Sally responded **"Everything ok Bunnie? Everyone's on line listening."**

Bunnnie flew a little lower as she neared closer to the backside of her uncles outpost "Auhum fine…but something don't feel right…" she muttered seeing the Dark Legion fight the people of Sand Blast City below.

"**Did you see your uncle yet?"** Amy asked in a serious tone.

Bunnie watched the ensuing conflict on the front side of the base as she approached from behind; she squinted her eyes slowly shaking her head "Not yet, but thets not what I'm talking bout. Thares combat going on here…"

"**A battle?"** Sally said with surprise** "That doesn't sound right…"**

"**Maybe you should pull out…"** Antoine responded.

Bunnie looked down at her wrist thinking for a moment, but before she could respond, she looked back down at the battle. She didn't see where it was shot from, but in the front side of the outpost something was shot into the air. It catapulted into the middle of the battlefield, and Bunnie blinked her eyes in confusion.

"What is thet?" she said aloud and the guys could still hear her on the communicator.

"**What is what Bunnie?"** Sally responded.

But seconds later a large area of effect EMP went off sending out a big electromagnetic pulse. So big it even covered the outpost and reached her. Bunnie's eyes widened in panic as she tried to turn in fly away, but it was too fast. The giant wall of electromagnetic energy reached her in a matter of seconds and disabled her cybernetics; shutting off her boosters and scrambling her communicator. She quickly began plummeting towards the ground because she was still pretty high up. And she yelled in fear clenching her eyes shut, and holding her arms up to shield her face as she fell towards the ground. The guys had heard her, and their voices started to become garbled as she neared the ground.

"**Bunnie! Bunnie!" **they all yelled through her communicator.

But she didn't hear anything as she hit the ground, and it all became black…

* * *

><p>Sometime later Bunnie felt herself regain consciousness…<p>

Her eyes slowly opened, and her head was throbbing; she realized she was laying on a cot, and she grabbed her throbbing head and sat up. Quickly inspecting the room she now seemed to be in. She gritted her teeth, and she held a frown seeing the dingy and bare concrete walls around herself. She knew she was probably in her uncle's outpost because when she was flying she could see the outpost was made of concrete.

There were two doors in the room, one to her left near the wall her cot sat next to, and one on the other side of the room. It was also semi dark in the room, with the only light visible coming from the door to her left, of the pale white light from outside. She could still hear the fighting going on outside, and the noise looked to be coming from the door on the opposite of her. She figured that was the front side of the outpost.

The room she was in was fairly small and there were a few cots lined up and down the wall next to hers. And her eyes narrowed because even that seemed a bit strange, because there was nothing else in the room. Just dingy bare floors, walls, and the few cots…

She let go of her head as the throbbing lessened a bit and noticed her hat was lying near her legs. She groaned a bit as she turned herself and sat on the edge of the cot. She looked around the room wondering what had happened. The fall made everything on her hurt; she still felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. And whoever shot off that EMP…she knew something was not right for sure now…

She then placed her hat on her lap and lifted her cybernetic arm to call the guys. She pressed on her arm, but she found her communicator was no longer working. Figuring that electrical blast must had fried it. And just as she was about to get up and leave she heard footsteps coming from the opposite side of the room. She turned her head and her adrenaline began to pump but she calmed down when her uncle opened the door. Beauregard swiftly opened the door and closed it behind himself. But when he saw she was awake a smile came across his face and despite her distrustfulness of him, an uncontrollable smile came across Bunnie'ss face as well.

And she let her guard down because it actually felt good to see family…

Bunnie then ran over to him with her hat in hand, and he extended his arms. Bunnie flung her arms around his waist and squeezed him, and he hugged her back "Uncle Beauregard!" she said in a happy tone.

And Beauregard chuckled patting her back "It's good to see you niece."

After a few moments Bunnie released him, smiling up at him "Same to yiah…" Bunnie paused and her face became slightly confused as she stared at his cybernetic arm "Yiah got implants…"

Beauregard's smile dissolved, and he nodded with a blank expression "Its mandatory…"

Bunnie then donned a skeptical face narrowing her eyes "Why didn't yiah tell me it was gonna be hot here? An who fired thet EMP? And how did yiah know I was here, and to come get me off tha dirt?" she looked him dead in the eyes.

It was obvious by her glare that she was accusing him, but Beauregard put his cane down and leaned on it with both hands. He frowned slightly at her "The Sandblasters. Didn't think they were gonna strike again before we left, but they did. An you don't think we got radars here? I saw you coming, and when the Sandblasters fired off that EMP I immediately had my people go get you…."

Bunnie's skeptical face remained as her mouth pinched up at him…she didn't fully believe him…

But her face softened into a light frown as he spoke again; his expression became stoic "How have you been faring niece…I mean without the other thangs going on…"

Bunnie then put her hat back on her head to conceal her messy hair; she made sure to give him no more information than he already knew. She continued to frown at him "…Antoine and I have been going through a rough patch…"

Beauregard raised an eyebrow at her looking upset know "You're still with that D'Coolette?" his tone held slight distaste.

Bunnie's frown deepened because even though she, and Antoine were no longer together, his disrespect for the north was still rude; considering she was part of the north now. Even after all these years that had passed he still had not let go. And she changed the conversation "Where are you going?"

Beauregard continued leaning on his cane staring at her with his light frown "Jus know it's far away…"

And by this point, Bunnie's distrust was cemented as she frowned at him…she just had a feeling in her churning gut that something was wrong…

She was also ready to leave now too, so she got straight to the point; old stuff was starting to pop up already. Her tone was snappy "I need to get goin. Yiah said you wanted tah tell me somethin?"

Beauregard then stood fully up and adjusted his long brown trench jacket looking at her; his brow narrowed "Theres some thangs I wanted to offer to you before I left…maybe even an extension…"

Bunnie raised an eyebrow keeping her upset face "What are yiah getting at?"

Beauregard turned slightly away from her "I know some information…and what's about to be carried out soon against the Knothole will not be good…"

And Bunnie was confused by the whole interaction. They had both withheld information from each other since they started talking. It was hard to tell if the information he hid from her was the truth, and if what he was willingly telling her was a lie. And Bunnie's eyes narrowed glaring at her uncle; it was apparent their enemies knew nothing about Nicole. Because if the Dark Legion and Eggman thought they were going to roll over the Knothole they had another thing coming.

"I think we'll be fine…" Bunnie stated in an upset tone.

Beauregard turned and looked back at her donning an equally upset face "If you are or not, I have an offer for you. An maybe even yiah little friends. Another option…" he put his cane under his arm.

Bunnie's brows were furrowed together as she glared at him, and he continued locking eyes with her; he put his cane back on the floor "I have an opening for you …if thangs don't go down right for you and maybe your friends…"

And immediately Bunnie's eyes widened in shock as she realized what he was saying. Then her brows knotted as anger came over her face "Yiah want me to defect! Yiah called me out here for this?" her tone full of disgust.

Beauregard's upset expression didn't falter though "Not want; it's your choice."

Bunnie turned her back to him throwing a hand in the air; the anger on her face remained "Like thet's some kind of choice…" her statement dripped with sarcasm.

Then anger came over Beauregard's face "I went to great lengths to arrange this. My superiors know nothing of this private meeting. I don't think you understand how much danger I put myself in to do this?"

But Bunnie began walking towards the other door of the room "Yiah can keep it…" she slowly shook her head "I aint like thet…like them…"

Beauregard struck his cane on the floor echoing in the small room, and then he pointed at her as she headed for the back door. He held his angered expression "I don't think you remember whose side you were on, what side yuer family was on..."

And his words made Bunnie stop in her tracks, and her head lowered just feet away from the door. Her fist balled at her side, and her uncle could not see the anger on her face. It remained quiet for a moment, still hearing the faint racket of the ensuing battle on the outpost.

And she kept her back turned as he spoke again "You still hail from the Southern Baronies no matter where you go…"

Bunnie then twirled around with her angered expression glaring at her uncle; he shot back at her with his own upset face. She lifted a finger pointing accusingly at him "I know who my fam was! They were bad people! An thets why I left!" she lowered her cybernetic hand.

But Beauregard now had a grumpy look "Your parents perished proudly fighting for the Overland. If we were successful we might have struck a major blow to tha North."

Bunnie blinked her eyes rapidly feeling herself getting worked up; her angry face remained "Ma and Pa were not traitors!" she raised her voice.

Beauregard scoffed raising a single eyebrow at her "Oh but the rest of your kin was? All your cousins, sisters, grandfathers? Our whole, but yuer parents weren't? Are you going to continue tah deny and ignore it? That's what your parents were doing, and it was a righteous cause."

Bunnie growled at Beauregard as he continued "We were all working towards one cause…" he stated with his upset expression.

"Tha lot of yiah were all in on it; trying to destroy tha North." Bunnie said keeping her fist balled at her side; her expression angry.

"From where I stand we were frighten back against our oppressors." Beauregard said indignantly "You grew up in tha South; we learned yiah. But then you just up an ran away when it was time for your part…"

Bunnie spoke through gritted teeth "I went away so my mind wouldn't be twisted no more."

"So where did you run off to? Straight to the north didn't yiah?" he said with accusing eyes.

Bunnie had enough though, and she pulled down on the tip of her hat with her angered face "Yiah don wasted my time, I'm leavin…" she paused narrowing her eyes at him one last time "…Yiah aint changed one bit…"

Beauregard's nostrils flared "An you been changing ever since you were a youngen…"

But just after Beauregard spoke those words there was some ruckus heard from behind the door he was standing at. Bunnie and Beauregard looked at the door as the ruckus grew louder and soon a Legionnaire flew through the door. Beauregard stepped back as a second later Sonic spin dashed into Beauregard knocking him down. Bunnie's eyes widened in surprise as Sonic uncurled, standing up a few feet away from Beauregard looking at her with a serious expression.

"Are you ok?" he asked with haste.

Bunnie nodded as a frown came over her face "I was just leavin…"

Beauregard looked angry as he attempted to get up, and the Legionnaire he knocked down got up as well "Let's get out of here…" Sonic said with a frown as Beauregard started getting up.

Bunnie watched as Sonic looked to Beauregard, and looked ready to dash and knock him down again. And he did as he went to knock Beauregard, the Legionnaire, and more Legionnaires running towards the door. But Sonic looked surprised as Bunnie violently shoved him, pushing him away from Beauregard.

Sonic almost stumbled off his feet moving a good distance away from Beauregard and the large group of Legionnaire's that had just entered the room. But when he regained his footing he looked over at Bunnie with wide eyes; almost not believing her behavior yet again.

Then his brows knotted into irritation glaring at Bunnie and her deep frown as she lowered her arms; she looked a bit torn as well. They locked eyes with one another as the Legionnaires raised their weapons, and Beauregard patted himself down. Sonic knew it was her family, and he wondered if he had gone too far attacking her uncle. But he was even more so their enemy right now and what just happened was really fishy.

Sonic huffed at Bunnie, not sure if what he had done was right and stood down. But it didn't change the look of annoyance on his face. Then Bunnie and Sonic looked over at Beauregard and his Legionnaires with their weapons drawn.

Beauregard kept his upset face looking at the two placing his cane under one of his arms. Then with a wave of his hand he signaled for his Legionnaires to lower their weapons, and they did. Sonic looked slightly confused but Bunnie caught his eye silently looking at him. She cocked her head to the back door of the room and slowly began backing up. Sonic immediately jogged from where he was over to her, and they made their way to the backdoor.

Once there the door was opened effortlessly, it didn't seem to be locked and a rush of pale grey and white light from the day rushed in. Sonic went through it first; it led back to the outside. And Bunnie backed out of the door with her eyes narrowed at her uncle. He squinted his eyes at her as she disappeared through the door leaving it open. And as Bunnie and Sonic went to meet up with Amy and Antoine, they both felt a sense of dread. Something about that whole meeting wasn't right…

And Sonic, Amy, and Antoine all got into a disagreement with Bunnie all the way back to the Knothole…

* * *

><p>An hour or two later Bunnie, Sonic, Antoine, and Amy returned to the Knothole…<p>

It was way past after noon and getting into the evening when they reach their HQ. The dark and gray gloomy clouds hung over the Knothole, and it was storming hard. The rain was heavy, and the people of the Knothole were inside avoiding getting wet. And Bunnie, Sonic, Antoine, and Amy were drenched, but it looked like the heavy rains would finally pass in a few hours from what everyone could tell. Tails, Rotor, Sally, and Nicole were in the common room hearing commotion approach the front door as they donned confused expressions. Tails, Rotor, and Sally turned their heads towards the front door as it opened; Sally was standing the farthest away from the front door with Nicole in her hand. Bunnie was the first to walk through from the pouring rain, followed by Sonic, Amy then Antoine.

Sonic and Bunnie were still arguing, and they went back and forth for a minute as Antoine closed the door. Amy and Antoine held frowns as Bunnie took off her dripping hat and swatted the water off of it and put it back on. Her brows were furrowed in slight anger "I don't believe him neither."

Sonic had irritation on his face "I think it was a trap."

Bunnie's lips pinched, and she spoke in a frustrated tone; her voice descended "He said tha Sandblasters they were fighten fired thet EMP…" she paused looking around at everyone.

And everyone including Sonic gave her disapproving frowns; as she knew, they knew, she knew better than that "How long was I out?" she questioned aloud as her angered face softened into a frown.

"We started a timer when your communications went out. It took Sonic about twenty minutes to get to you." Rotor said scratching his head with a frown.

Bunnie rubbed her chin squinting her eyes as Sonic spoke "They could have done something while you were out. You should get checked out." he said as his face softened into a frown.

Bunnie locked eyes with Sonic again "They would have needed to move quick to do something like thet…" she paused looking down at the floor away from everyone for a moment "I can get Dr. Quack and Rotor to check me out taday…"

And it remained quiet around the common room, and Bunnie kept her eyes away from everyone's frowns. It was hard to look them in the eyes because she knew they could see despite what'd happened, she was still sort of defending her uncle.

But soon the silence was broken as Sally spoke up with a serious expression "We should definitely do that Bunnie as a precautionary measure. We all need to talk about it all. But before we get to that we actually have some good news."

Antoine, Amy, Sonic, and Bunnie lost their frowns and donned curious faces. Tails, Rotor, and Sally smirked again too. Sally held Nicole up "Nicole has an announcement."

Everyone looked at Nicole in Sally's hand speaking in a neutral tone "I have completed the Master Nanite."

Amy, Sonic, Antoine, and Bunnie blinked their eyes in surprise "You're kidding…" Amy said with disbelief.

But Tails shook his head with a big smile "I saw it."

Nicole continued speaking "I have made more progress while you were away as well. After the Master Nanite was completed I attempted to create nanites as a test, and I was able to create one hundred thousand nanites."

Sonic now had a weak smile on his face "No way, I gotta see this. Where are they?"

"They are contained in a cylindrical glass jar in our laboratory for the time being." Nicole stated.

"I would like to see them." Antoine said with a curious look.

Rotor began walking towards the lab as everyone began to "You can see them through the glass with a microscope."

"How are you supposed to move these things again Nicole?" Sally asked with a curious face as she turned to walk into the lab; she was the first into the lab.

Nicole responded promptly as everyone shuffled into the lab; Bunnie was last to enter the lab as they all walked to a back counter in the lab "Once the required threshold of nanites has been reached, they will need to be moved to a specified location to continue production. The Master Nanite is vital to…"

But suddenly, Nicole stopped talking when Bunnie neared and was in a short radius of her. And everyone surrounding the back counter looked confused, looking around at one another. The sudden stark silence jolted everyone out of their thoughts because they had been listening to Nicole talk.

Then everyone looked at Sally with confused expressions as she lifted Nicole up, "Nicole?" Sally raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

But Nicole remained silent and Sally tapped on her screen, "Nicole? Are you ok?"

Nicole remained silent still, and everyone began to look worried when Nicole spoke moments later, "What is that?" she stated.

Then everyone's faces filled with confusion and worry at Nicole's words; she usually didn't speak in such a way. And for her to be speaking in a way that was unconventional for her only added to the confusion.

"What are you talking about Nicole?" Rotor asked her with confusion.

Nicole remained silent again and this time everyone waited for her to speak donning slight frowns. It remained quiet for a minute or so hearing the constant downpour of rain outside against their HQ.

Then Nicole spoke again "Bunnie…please come here…" her tone remained neutral but they all still understood the assertiveness of her statement.

And immediately after Nicole spoke her words, Bunnie and Sonic looked to each other and locked eyes. Sonic frowned and Bunnie's eyes became wide. Everyone else looked around at one another looking surprised too because they had never really heard Nicole speak so authoritatively.

Bunnie's brows then wrinkled in worry, and she stepped in front of Sally as she held Nicole up closer to her. By this point everyone's faces contorted into upset expressions "Scanning…" Nicole stated.

Less than a minute of scanning Nicole spoke again "I have detected a faint wireless signal coming from Bunnie's person…the signal is not originating from a faraway source…" Nicole paused.

Rotor rubbed his chin "Then that means whatever the signal is it's not being controlled remotely."

"So they're not using whatever it is to control something here?" Sally said in a questioning tone.

"That's a pretty safe bet." Rotor responded crossing his arms.

"They're not doing anything then." Tails stated with a determined face.

Rotor nodded silently at him as they all waited for Nicole, and she confirmed what they didn't want to hear "…I am detecting a foreign device on Bunnies person…it is emitting a signal…" she stated in a neutral tone.

There was a small gasp from one of the Freedom Fighters and Sally's brows knotted into a serious expression "Someone go get Dr. Quack!" she glanced around at everyone.

"Amy, let's go." Sonic said with a frown looking over at her.

"Right." Amy responded with her own frown.

They both left without another word, and the front door could be heard slamming shut as they ran out it. With a worried expression Bunnie quickly began taking off her hat and jacket. Rotor quickly moved to an operating table; Bunnie tossed her hat and jacket on a nearby counter. Rotor turned on a bright white light near the tables with a serious face, and he rolled over a few light blue operating curtain racks. He positioned them around her operating table, out of view from the others as Bunnies metal legs clanked against the table as she sat down.

Rotor began gathering his tools while Nicole, Tails, Sally, and Antoine used the computer in the lab. Tails and Nicole began checking on Robotropolis to see if any activity had changed; all activity looked normal though. With this new information they just discovered it still seemed like the obvious action to take.

And by the time Rotor had took off the casing of Bunnie's arm and one of her legs, Sonic, and Amy returned with Dr. Quack. With a stern expression he quickly wiped his wet face and joined Rotor behind the light blue operating curtains. And a few minutes later Rotor retrieved Nicole from the others because they needed her help. Rotor relayed to them all that he, and Dr. Quack found something in her cybernetic arm…

And Sally, Sonic, Antoine, Tails, and Amy waited by their round metallic discussion table for an excruciating ten minutes or so. Every now and then, they would glance over at the operating curtains with their frowns. Only hearing them faintly discuss what they were doing before they suddenly stopped. They could see the silhouettes of Dr. Quack, Rotor, Bunnie, and Nicole through the light blue curtains. And Dr. Quack just slowly shook his head…

Sally, Sonic, Antoine, Tails, and Amy stared at the curtain when Rotor and Dr. Quack came from behind the curtains with Nicole. The guys quickly moved to them with Sally speaking first "Well?" she questioned with her serious face.

Dr. Quack sighed wiping his forehead "…We have a problem…"

Rotor held Nicole up as she spoke; everyone looked at her "There is an unknown foreign device in Bunnie's arm transmitting an outgoing signal."

"A signal? What is it transmitting something?" Sally asked with a serious look.

"I do not have the visual aid, but the device is doing a geographical scan. It need not be said it is probably of the Knothole." Nicole finished.

Rotor and Dr. Quack held deep frowns as they clearly already knew what that meant. But Sonic, Amy, Antoine, Tails, and Sally's eyes widened in shock again as they just realized what that meant. The horrible realization that their enemies might have a full map of the Knothole now…

But Rotor interjected in the silence "They don't have maps of everything yet. The device is still scanning."

And Sonic asked the obvious question "So then you just need to get it out of her to stop it?"

And Nicole responded to him "Yes. We can disable the device if we can remove it from Bunnie."

"If?" Tails raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Everyone donned slight confusion too, and Sally looked at Rotor and Dr. Quack with her stern look awaiting their response. Dr. Quack glanced back at the operating curtains then back at everyone with his frown "From the way the device currently has been integrated into Bunnie, removing it would cause great harm or…" he paused as everyone knew what he was saying "…kill her…" he finished with caution in his tone.

Then everyone's faces filled with slight anger as the battle they had with their enemies never seemed to end. Then Bunnie could be heard as she hopped off her operating table and walked from behind the curtains. She held her organic hand over her exposed cybernetic arm to shield some of her exposed arm. Her face was consumed with worry as she stood near the curtains looking at everyone. They briefly glanced at her but soon everyone slowly looked to Sonic…

His brows knotted, and he held a determined expression…and they all immediately all knew what he was thinking…what he was about to do…what he was going to say next…

But before he spoke Sally balled her fist looking at Rotor and Dr. Quack "How much has the device scanned?" she said with an angry face.

"We won't be able to know for sure until we get it out of her…and we need Nicole's assistance as we're unfamiliar with the device…" Dr. Quack said slowly shaking his head.

It was silent again for a few moments before Sonic spoke breaking the silence "They're coming…" he said in a determined tone.

And Sally was the first to open her mouth to protest Sonic, but quickly she shut it as she looked at him. Her mind and everyone else's minds began to run with the implications of it all. It was immediately apparent that the maps could give their enemies more precise ways to attack them instead of blindly wasting resources as they had. They could raid all their bunkers, see what they kept secret, getting maps of their HQ would be devastating.

Sally whirled her head around towards Tails, "Did we detect any activity in Robotropolis?"

Tails shook his head with a frown "It was normal as far as we could see…"

Everyone was thinking the same thing though; Sally narrowed her eyes "Check it again…"

Tails nodded and he, Rotor, and Nicole went over to the computer while everyone spoke about actions they could take. Because if they needed to go to Robotropolis today they would be in a precarious situation. They weren't prepared, and they were still recovering from Eggman's last attack.

But less than a minute later Tails, and Rotor stepped back from the computer with wide eyes. They interrupted everyone's conversation and they all glanced over at them "Their moving in…" he stuttered.

Everyone blinked their eyes quickly moving over to the computer to see what was on the computer. The computer showed a radar and there were blips everywhere…

"What's going on?" Amy asked them with an angered expression.

Tails and Rotor stuttered so Nicole spoke "There is a large increase in activity coming from Robotropolis. Much larger than the last few months. It seems Eggman, and the Dark Legion are mounting an attack with the information they could retrieve from the device implanted into Bunnie."

"I need to go…" Sonic stated suddenly with a serious expression.

Everyone looked at Sonic but knew they could not argue with him this time. They definitely had to do something this time. And they all felt torn about Sonic suggesting going to Robotropolis in a moment's notice.

"Yiah can't go in daytime again…their probably waiten for us this time…" Bunnie said with a worried face over near the operating curtains.

Sonic all but seemed to ignore her though as he looked away from her and glanced over at Tails "Come on tails...let's get going..."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise again, and Tails looked shocked "Go?" he stuttered.

Sonic nodded with his serious expression "You're going on your first mission..."

Sally frowned but held a stern look in her eyes "Sonic…"

Rotor sighed out in a deep huff "I usually don't agree with something so reckless, but I agree with Sonic this time. We have to take some heat off us so we can get that thing out of Bunnie."

"If they're coming now we need to evacuate." Antoine said as he donned a serious expression.

Sally rubbed her head "We need to have some sort of plan…"

"Well it's obvious that Bunnie won't be able to help until we get this device out of her." Dr. Quack said crossing his arms.

"And since Nicole has to stay behind I need help. I'm sure there someway Nicole can help Tails, and I once where in the city." Sonic said in a determined tone.

"Yeah, we can arrange that…" Rotor said with a frown.

Sally nodded hesitantly "I guess we'll be defending…" she paused glancing around at everyone with a stern look "…I'm sure you all know by now this isn't a normal attack…considering what the Baron did I think we can all agree the Legion is playing a big part in this…"

Everyone nodded in agreement and Amy slowly shook her head "And I'm betting all that stuff on the Radar wasn't just Eggman's forces and the Dark legion forces that are already in the city…"

Sally nodded silently "Agreed. Let's get moving then, were already behind the curve." she pointed at Antoine and Amy "You two go start the alert around the Knothole and begin evacuation. Since there already probably on their way the citizens need to go into hiding immediately."

Antoine nodded with determination "I will go to Castle Acorn and alert the Royal military. We might need zis reinforcements."

Amy looked at Sonic and Tails with a frown "Be careful…"

"We'll see you when we get back." he said with his serious expression.

Amy and Antoine then turned to leaving, but Antoine caught a quick glance at Bunnie. She saw him, and her worried expression remained on her face as he left from sight. Bunnie also looked over at Sonic, Tails, Sally, and Nicole go around there planning table. Sonic had briefly glanced at her, and they locked eyes for a moment.

And time froze in that moment as Dr. Quack and Rotor had begun to walk back over to her operating table. The sharp look in his eyes made her feel an even colder cold sweat wash over her. Her brows remained wrinkled together with worry on her face. She felt mortified because of all her recent mistakes…and she knew her mind would be plagued with many thoughts if they made it through this alive…

But she was broken out of her thoughts as Dr. Quack and Rotor hurried her back onto the operating table. Sonic had already looked away from her speaking to Tails as she walked back behind the operating curtain. She couldn't erase the worry from her face as Rotor asked her to lie down. She complied, and the bright white light blinded her eyes as Rotor and Dr. Quack put on operating mask. Her eyes closed, and she let out a heavy sigh as she could hear Rotor and Dr. Quack pick up tools. She hoped she didn't run into her uncle anytime soon…because she now saw how he'd changed…and she was changing too…and she might hurt him…

* * *

><p>Two or more so hours later…<p>

It was getting on into the evening, and the Freedom Fighters had made out their plans. The skies were still dark and filled with gray clouds, but it had stopped raining. And any rain clouds that had been present earlier were gone. The ground was slick, and muddy, and it was still light out for the time being. And while it was still light out the people of the Knothole took the opportunity to get into hiding. The Knothole was a bustle of panicked citizens yet again as they ran every which way after the alert horn was sounded through the village; running into the surrounding forest to their hidden bunkers.

In the Freedom Fighters HQ Rotor, Nicole, and Dr. Quack were frivolously working to remove the scanning device from Bunnies arm. After they finished their plans, Sally, Antoine, and Amy had went out in the Knothole to help evacuate, and Sonic and Tails had already headed off to Robotropolis. But though Rotor, Nicole, and Dr. Quack had been working on Bunnie for about an hour, they were still having complications.

Bunnie held a worried expression, remaining silent as she laid down on her operating table; looking up at the three as they operated on her. Dr. Quack wiped his head as he removed a tool from Bunnie's arm "I think that's as deep as we're going to get…"

Rotor glanced over at him "It seems so. That attachment looks to be the trigger that could hurt Bunnie. "

"My analysis is coming to the same conclusions. Severing that attachment would cause great harm to Bunnie's nervous system. Maybe even potentially killing her. It could still be removed with our current tools, but it would take much time. Not to mention there is still a risk of harming Bunnie in this method." Nicole stated as Rotor picked her up.

"I suppose it's no coincidence that, that attachment is what we need to cut so we can remove the device. Are you sure that will happen if you try and hack it Nicole?" Dr. Quack said in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes. Upon our further analysis it seems any interference with the device would cause harm to Bunnie too. If I were to shut it down while it is still on Bunnie's person it would cause the same harmful effects as if it were removed." Nicole stated.

Rotor chuckled weakly "They knew what they were doing." Rotor then looked down at Nicole in his hand raising an eyebrow "Any suggestions Nicole?"

Dr. Quack and Bunnie glanced up at her as she spoke "I think I may have one. It is still possible to sever the connection between the device and Bunnie and not cause her any severe harm. The incision is too small to make with conventional tools though, but with the help of the newly created nanites it may be possible." she stated in a neutral tone.

Rotor's eyes widened ""But they're so tiny…how are we going to move them…"

And Nicole told him "I will move them. It will take a short amount of time, but once I move the nanites into position I will control them. They will eat away at the base of the trigger rendering it harmless."

Rotor nodded his head and placed Nicole down on the operating table. He looked at Dr. Quack silently and seriously, and they both went to retrieve the glass vial of Nicole's nanites. All the while, Bunnie laid her head back down on the operating table with her worried face. Feeling a bit of relief from Nicole's words, but at the same time her stomach was in knots.

Because of this situation they were currently in, they had no options. But only hope Tails, Nicole, and Sonic alone would be enough to make Eggman and the Dark Legion reel again. Because the activity in Robotropolis tripled an hour ago…

They were coming hard this time…and if Sonic, Tails, and Nicole didn't succeed the Knothole would surely be destroyed because it didn't look like they would be pulling back this time…

In fact it looked like their enemies were pulling out all the stops…

Nicole along with Sonic, and Tails needed to do enough damage to make their enemies pull back. Because there were so many of them detected they knew a large force was marching to decimate them today…

Just then Rotor and Dr. Quack returned with the glass vial full of nanites; though they were so tiny it didn't look like there was anything in it. Rotor picked Nicole up but before anyone could speak Nicole spoke aloud suddenly "Initiating wattage reconfiguration…"

Then moments later Tails voice came through Nicole's speakers; a large explosion could be heard in the background, "Nicole? Sonic and I just leveled one of Eggman's new electric power generators. Your overload worked great." Tails said in a serious tone.

Dr. Quack, Rotor, and Bunnie smirked a bit hearing Tail's voice as Nicole responded "Excellent work. You still have twelve more terminals to reach."

"We're heading to the next one right now. I think the whole city is chasing us." Tails responded.

"Once you gain access to the next terminal, send the encryption, and I will overload the station. You and Sonic will be able to continue moving because our time is running short. Eggman and his forces are nearing the Knothole." she stated.

"Alright, were moving." Tails finished, and the line went dead.

Rotor's face then became serious again; his light blue medical mask moved as he spoke, "Now then, where were we…"

Nicole spoke to Dr. Quack "Lower the vial horizontally onto Bunnie's arm. I require a certain amount of nanites to be on contact."

Dr. Quack did so silently, carefully tilting the jar onto Bunnie's exposed arm. And Bunnie remained perfectly still hoping that Nicole's plan would work. She stared up into the bright white light with a worried face knowing that if she got up from this table today she was going to fight tooth and nail to correct this mistake she made. Because from where she was laying right now it all looked pretty grim. And she knew without Sonic all their plans would have fell apart today…

Without him taking the heat off everyone else they surely would not succeed…Tails couldn't go to Robotropolis alone…and she would be dead again today…

She couldn't help but let her mind wander on Sonic again as they operated on her. Because he once again was a big part of her life even after the way she had ignored him. How she had taken him for granted. He had always been one of her closest friends. They always had a deep trust and caring between one another even despite recent happenings. And they had always been close in that way. And she was starting to see a lot more of him in her mind lately….

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Robotropolis…<p>

Dark clouds still covered the city, and it had stopped raining a short time ago. In a Legionnaire area of the city, many Legionnaires were running through the metal streets of the city towards the multiple explosions that just went off at one of their recently restored power stations. In a shiny new building in the area, surrounded by many transport air and land vehicles, the powers that be were well aware of what was going on. But they still had other pressing matters they were carrying out other than capturing their intruders.

In the shiny new building, Lien-Da and her Legionnaires were busy coordinating their latest attack against the Knothole. This like many legion buildings had no windows, but this particular building had a small group of satellites sitting atop it. The entire one floor of the new building was covered in computer servers and one giant computer console. Bright lights covered the room, and the same white sterile, white colored paint covered the walls and floors. Five Legionnaires sat in front of one huge computer screen directing the Dark legion around the globe in their various devious endeavors. Lien-Da had a headset on her head, speaking into a microphone with an arrogant smirk directing her co Grandmasters personally.

She was waiting for a response as she looked up at the big computer screen from behind her Legionnaires. The computer screen was black with green blips covering the screen showing their forces, and the people of the Knothole they were trying to capture. Then the screen switched to a view of a Legionnaire in another part of Mobius asking for assistance. One of the Legionnaires on the computer responded as the screen switched back.

And just as it did one of the Grandmasters responded to Lien-Da **"Were ready to breach on your orders."** the voice of Beauregard responded.

Lien-Da grinned "Excellent. You are clear to attack…" she spoke in a calm tone "I have other matters to attend to, so if you need assistance keep in touch with our operators."

"**Yes Grandmaster…"** frustration was present in his voice.

Lien-Da then ripped her headset from her head and spoke aloud to her Legionnaires on the computer "Contact all available Legionnaires in the city. We are about to initiate takeover of Robotropolis in ten minutes time. I want everyone ready once we gain control over Eggman's systems."

"Yes Grandmaster!" the Legionnaires responded collectively.

Lien-Da kept her arrogant expression as she tossed her headset onto the floor and turned for the exit. She spoke again as she walked to the exit of the building "And make sure this building stays in lockdown after I leave. I am the only one who can access the door panel of this building."

The Legionnaires responded the same as the electric door of the building opened for Lien-Da, then locked shut automatically as it closed. A few Legionnaires were waiting outside for her, and they quietly saluted her as she stepped down the small flight of stairs of the building. With a devious grin Lien-Da and her Legionnaires began walking to one of the many transport vehicles in the surrounding area ready to go to a secret place. And once their Lien-Da was going to be directing all of her available forces in the city. Because of the non-intrusive control devices they'd ben planting all around the city, Eggman's technology would be completely under her control. And Eggman would be completely powerless…

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in Robotropolis…<p>

The same type of conniving scheme was going on atop the large control tower building that loomed over the city. Eggman stood in front of his large oval shaped window of his control center with a malevolent smile; his arms behind his back. He wasn't the only one present in his control center though; Snively sat in the chair in front of the large computer console in the middle of the room. He was currently preparing for their hostile takeover of the Dark Legion. And as far as from what Eggman could tell, the Dark Legion in Robotropolis seemed to be completely unaware of the other ways he had modified his army of Swatbots.

The barely visible light of this dark rainy day illuminated off of Eggman's black spectacles as he looked down on the city below. He held a big smile as gleeful thoughts ran through his mind. Yes he had modified his Swatbots to fire the legions jamming device when they started their alliance. But he also had…tinkered…with all of the new technology they had built into the city to make it more efficient…

Eggman chuckled under his breath wondering if Lien-Da, and her legion would even be prepared when he locked them out of all the technology they built here. Because the Swatbots had jamming devices personally modified by him that would jam their cybernetics. And they could fight back…that was true…

But they were outnumbered…and he was sure he could overrun them…

He knew Lien-Da had considered this fact at least once…

What he was guessing was that she didn't know that it was actually true. And in minutes time he was going to direct thousands of Swatbots on them. And once they were all disabled he was going to subjugate them even further. With bombs planted in them he would control their bodies…control them…and his empire would grow into the Dark Egg Legion…

He would then gain the secrets of their technology and take the world with ease…

Eggman continued to look out the window as he spoke aloud "Snively? How goes the pest control?"

Snively held a worried expression as he typed into the computer "…Sonic and his friends have destroyed eleven of the twelve new power generator stations…" he paused leaning over to see Eggman still staring out the window "…Our power consumption has dropped back to previous levels in the last few months sir…"

Snively cowered a bit as he could hear Eggman grumble under his breath a bit But his tone was genial as he spoke "It's no matter; I expected that blue rodent would cause some damage. Let's just hope the Dark Legion does a considerable amount of damage to the Knothole then. We have much more important things to gain in this chaos…"

Snively sweated and nodded even though Eggman kept his back turned "…Yes sir…"

Snively went back to typing as Eggman spoke again; he leaned back over to listen as he typed "Oh and send out E-22. It'll give those animals a little trouble while we're working."

Snively gulped and leaned back over to the twenty monitors "I am initiating E-22 to sector eight sir…"

Eggman remained silent after Snively spoke, but there was now anger on his face at the news of what Sonic and pals had done yet again. It was a slight setback, but if he took control of the Dark Legion, the Knothole and the Kingdom of Acorn would be wiped off the face of Mobius in a short amount of time…

* * *

><p>Down in the streets of Robotropolis Sonic and Tails were in the last new power station they needed to destroy. Tails was working on the computer console while Sonic kept the Legionnaires and Swatbots out while he worked. Sonic was just outside the door of the building keeping them busy just as Tails sent the last return signal to Nicole. His brows were knotted with determination on his face as he waited for Nicole; he had on Sonic's brown backpack carrying physical hacking tools he used to get a signal to Nicole.<p>

He glanced over at the one door where they came in seeing Sonic run past the door yet again. Sonic and he had been hit by quite a few lasers, and they stung, but they bet Eggman was steamed to find out what they had done in return.

And then Tails whirled his head back around as Nicole spoke to him **"Initiating wattage reconfiguration…"**

Tails spoke in a serious tone, "Did we do enough Nicole?"

And Nicole responded a few moments later **"You have two minutes to leave that area. And I am detecting a significant drop in power consumption in Robotropolis. It most likely has garnered the attention of Eggman and the Dark Legion."**

Tails nodded "Are they still attacking the Knothole?"

"**Yes. They have not pulled back yet. It seems more still must be done." **Nicole responded.

Tails sighed, and he frowned "We need to get into that Legionnaire building then…"

"**That particular building is padlocked. I can bypass the door systems in five minutes time."** Nicole stated back to him before she spoke to Rotor in the background.

"Right. We gotta get out of here soon; I don't think we can hold out much longer..." but just as Tails finished speaking he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

To his left the other door to the room opened and four Swatbots and a Legionnaire rushed in and began firing at him.

"I gotta go Nicole, we'll be there." he said with a serious expression.

"**Yes."** Nicole stated as the line went dead.

Tails immediately dashed from his spot, using his speed he flew into the air dodging their weapon fire. But he landed nearer to them, and then spin dashed into two Swatbots. One Swatbots side was torn into, deactivating it. And the others arms and legs were busted making it harmless.

Tails was moving too fast for the other two Swatbots and Legionnaire. Tails dashed towards the Legionnaire as the Swatbots fired at him. But the Swatbots didn't take care to aim away from the Legionnaire and fired at the Legionnaire. The Legionnaire was hit quite a few times as they fell to the ground and Tails finished off the last two Swatbots. They both pointed there arm lasers at him, firing wildly as he ran around them. But soon Tails flew up, and spin dashed into one of the Swatbots heads crushing it. It flailed around until it fell to the ground, then Tails spin dashed into the other Swatbots arms crippling them. Its weapons were useless, but it still tried to attack him. Tails easily dodged the bot and spin dashed into its back knocking it hard onto the floor. It fell face first and crushed its face as it deactivated.

Tails then wasted no time as he ran back to the entrance where Sonic was. This building was going to explode soon. When he reached the entrance he spotted Sonic attacking a group of Legionnaires, and all around himself were Swatbots. Without hesitation they began raising their arm lasers and Tails grinned sheepishly as he suddenly took off into the air dodging their laser fire. He then flew quickly over to Sonic, dodging the laser fire from the Legionnaires who saw him, and the Swatbots firing from behind him. He rushed into the Legionnaires shoving them and Sonic took the split second opportunity and knocked even more of them down. They were all down on the ground as Sonic and Tails began to run in the opposite direction.

But they both noticed all around them there were more forces coming down every street in every direction. Large groups of Swatbots coming down one street towards them, and large groups of Legionnaires down another. They both held frowns as they looked at one another briefly, while still trying to dodge the Swatbots laser fire as they ran towards them, and the Legionnaires that were getting up off the ground.

Soon though a loud high pitched buzzing noise filled the area; coming from the building they just came out of. Tails and Sonic's eyes widened as they continued running in any direction. They ran around the corner of the block they were on, still confronted by Swatbots and Legionnaires in front of them firing at them. But then an ear splitting and deafening explosion rocked the area as the power station blew up.

The explosion was accompanied by something just as big as Tails and Sonic stopped in their tracks. The Legionnaires and Swatbots behind and in front of them stopped firing too as they heard the same faint noise getting louder. The sound was the thump of something giant walking. Everyone in the immediate vicinity looked around in confusion when suddenly a giant robot ripped through a nearby building.

It stopped just some feet behind Tails and Sonic, and another explosion went off from the power station rocking the area again; debris from the explosion fell from the air. The robot was big as a small truck, it was mostly red, and it was egg shaped with a big smile painted on its face. The robot stood fully up locking onto Tails and Sonic.

Tails looked up shocked but Sonic narrowed his eyes as the Legionnaires and Swatbots began firing at them again. The giant robot raised its gigantic arm and swung at Sonic and Tails who dodged. Sonic ran in a circular motion though, and as he rounded back he sped up significantly and spin dashed into the robot.

He connected with it making a large dent in its hull, and causing some damage as it sparked a bit. The force of his attack also made it fall back towards the Legionnaires and Swatbots behind him. The momentary distraction gave Tails and Sonic a chance to speed up, and they barreled through the forces that were in front of them. They were both hit a few times by a few lasers, and boy did they sting. But once through the small barricade, they were out of range, running at fast speeds making it hard for their enemies to keep up with them.

Tails ran next to Sonic with a serious face pulling a map out of Sonic's backpack "Nicole is opening a door for us at a Legionnaire building….there still attacking the Knothole..."

Sonic looked around nodding "Were are we headed?"

He and Tails stopped at an intersection; no one was around because they had out ran the Swatbots and Legionnaires. Tails shook his head looking slightly sheepish "I think it's back in the direction we just came…" he rubbed the back of his head glancing at Sonic.

Sonic's face softened then he smirked a bit "I'll race you."

Tails chuckled as he put the map back in Sonic's backpack, and they began running back in the direction they came from. And from the looks of it the big guys and all the Legionnaires were waiting for them as they ran back into laser fire. But they did feel slightly worried that something else was going on. As they had seen no sight of Eggman or Lien-Da, and with all the damage they had caused, they wondered why they hadn't pulled back yet…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole all chaos was breaking lose…<p>

A royal military guard had just run out of the Freedom Fighters HQ lab. He'd just informed Rotor, Dr. Quack, Nicole, and Bunnie of what was happening as their enemies attacked. And behind the operating curtain, Bunnie laid on her operating table with her worried expression. Staring up into the bright operating light, trying not to move a muscle as Nicole worked on her. Dr. Quack and Rotor conversed with one another about what they just heard, and Bunnie could hear the new hesitation in their voices.

And since she was trying not to move she could not see much with the bright operating lights in her eyes. She could sort of make out their movements though, and Rotor was holding Nicole as he spoke to Dr. Quack _"They're attacking specific parts of the village…"_ he paused.

"_There not coming all in at once?"_ Dr. Quack responded twirling his hand.

There was a short pause from what Bunnie could see and hear with her head down remaining perfectly still. But she was sure she was thinking what they were thinking _"They have some maps already…"_ Rotor uttered.

And Nicole spoke interjecting into the conversation _"The nanites have eroded through nearly all of the base of the device. I will be done momentarily."_ she paused _"You have arrived…I am bypassing the door now…"_

After Nicole spoke Rotor, and Dr. Quack remained silent. It need not be said that Nicole had to hurry and remove the device from her. Because it seemed their enemies were starting to get maps from the scans the device was doing. And Bunnie felt guilt as she stayed still on the operating table. Her mind had gone blank in the stressful situation only hoping for the best. And her brows remained wrinkled in worry hoping Tails and Sonic did something soon because she didn't want to die on this operating table…

* * *

><p>Back in Robotropolis Sonic and Tails had just entered the designated Legionnaire building. Nicole just hacked the door and they made quick work of five Legionnaires working on a large computer console. They just barely made it away from the hundreds of Swatbots and Legionnaires chasing them through the streets of the city. And the giant robot Eggman had sent out made it even harder to find this building. And Tails and Sonic were sure they would know where they had run off to in a matter of minutes.<p>

They both had laser burns all over their fur, and dirt covered their bodies. Sonic just dragged the last knocked out Legionnaire onto a pile of their buddies observing the room as Tails worked on the computer console. All the computers in the room made him suspect they had come into something big "Where are we?" Sonic said with a frown walking back over to Tails.

Tails was under and inside an open panel of the computer console hooking up some wires. All his hacking tools were in a pile on the floor, and he pulled himself up as he got done hooking up the wires.

He held a serious expression as he began typing into the computer "I think it's just an outpost for the Dark Legion while there in the city. So they can maybe keep contact with whatever else they've got going on."

"So what's this last thing we're doing?" Sonic asked him curiously.

Tails eyes stayed focused on the computer "I'm physically hacking their networks so Nicole can get past the blocks. That's what we've been doing to destroy the generators. Nicole can get full access to the Dark Legion's networks so we can do some serious damage."

Sonic then smirked a bit "Let's hope she can do more than we have."

Tails nodded seriously "No kidding…" he paused "…I'm in!" he paused again as Sonic stepped closer to the computer "…I'm sending Nicole the return code now…"

And they both waited silently for a minute or so waiting for Nicole's response. Because by now they were sure they had the whole city breathing down their neck, and they were probably getting tired of them slipping away from their grasp…

* * *

><p>And at the same time Eggman was getting ready to start his master plan…<p>

Up in his control tower, he held a malevolent smile on his face, staring out his window with his back turned to Snively, and his arms behind his back. He spoke aloud in a witty tone "Snively! Get ready to initiate operation Dead Drone!"

Snively typed feverishly in the computer console "Yes sir!" he spoke in a nervous tone.

And on the twenty monitors in front of Snively was video of nothing but Swatbots. And after he typed a few commands into the computer, the Swatbots in the city began to raise their arm lasers. And from what Snively could see on the screens the Legionnaires looked completely unaware as they search the city for Sonic and Tails. Because soon the Swatbots were going to start firing there specially designed Legionnaire jamming devices, and the city would be full of disabled Legionnaires …

* * *

><p>And at the same time in a secret location in Robotropolis…<p>

Lien-Da was in a darkened room, with only a single light above her and a laptop in front of her on a desk. A few Legionnaires guarded the door behind her and, with a big grin on her face she watched a timer countdown on the laptop screen.

Then she typed a command into her keyboard, and video showed up of many Legionnaires. Around cameras all around the city, the cameras showed her Legionnaires still searching for Sonic and Tails with Eggmans Swatbots. Then she spoke aloud to the computer with a big smile "All remaining personnel, ready your weapons. Soon I will give you the order, so be ready."

She could see all her Legionnaires nod with the implanted ear piece in their heads. As the cameras switched one by one, they all had seemed to acknowledge and hear her. And they all began raising their weapons slightly with all the Swatbots around them…

Then Lien-Da switched back to the countdown screen on her laptop. In less than thirty seconds there non-intrusive control devices that they planted all around the city would activate. Disabling and shutting down all of Eggman's technology; leaving him powerless as they destroyed him and the Knothole. Once it completed she could start directing her Legionnaires for her hostile takeover of Robotropolis, then the world…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole Nicole just received Tail's signal…<p>

Rotor looked down in his hand at Nicole as she suddenly spoke in the silent room; Dr. Quack did so too "Tails?"

"**We're in!"** Tails spoke in a hasty tone.

"I see." Nicole stated "…I have access to the Dark Legion's networks. I will begin decrypting to disrupt…" Nicole stopped short for a moment "…Wait…there is something more…"

"Huh? What do you mean Nicole?" Rotor asked raising an eyebrow.

"**More than what we've already done?"** Sonic's voice was heard through Nicole.

"Yes." Nicole stated "…There seems to also be a backdoor into Eggman's networks as well…"

Dr. Quack's eyes widened "You're kidding..."

Then Bunnie spoke up "Well however yiah got in, mess both of them up quick…" she said in a worried tone.

Rotor nodded as he narrowed his eyes looking down at Nicole "My sentiments exactly. I don't know how Eggman recently got a back door, but we could disrupt Eggman too."

"I am already working on it." Nicole stated as many numbers and programs began popping up on her screen.

"**What luck." **Tails responded.

"**What does that mean?"** Sonic said with confusion.

"**It means Nicole is going to brick all their tech." **Tails said in an excited tone.

"Exactly, I am going to modify all available configurations on the Dark Legions networks and in Robotropolis. And since I have access to Robotropolis I will do a few other things as well..." Nicole stated in a neutral tone.

"…**I think we have company…"** Sonic stated in a serious tone.

"Once I have completed this process we will lose communication. I would advise you to leave as soon as I'm done." Nicole spoke to the two.

"**We'll do our best to get out in one piece…"** Tails responded in a serious tone.

"You two be careful…" Dr. Quack spoke aloud.

"**Get the ointment ready Doc."** Sonic spoke back.

Dr. Quack, Rotor, and Bunnie smirked; but Nicole spoke again "And Bunnie? The nanites are about to break through. We do not know what effects the device will have once it severs from you. Since the device is attached to your nervous system, I surmise you will feel something. So be prepared mentally and physically to experience some level of pain."

Dr. Quack nodded silently as he went and grabbed more medical tools. And Rotor sat Nicole down looking seriously at Bunnie "We need to be prepared to stabilize you if something goes wrong…"

Bunnie remained silent and still with her worried expression; dreading and anticipating the incoming pain. She had many scrapes with death…and unfortunately the pain hurt, and was extreme every time…

* * *

><p>Back in Robotropolis…<p>

In Eggman's control tower he still stood in front of his window with his arms behind his back. He held a big smile as he began to countdown "Five…four…"

Snively typed feverishly as all the Swatbots on the screens in front of him began to slowly turn. Their arms began to raise at all the Legionnaires around themselves…

* * *

><p>And in Lien-Da's secret darkened room…<p>

She had just directed all Legionnaires in the city to get ready to fire on her orders. The Legionnaires on her screen began to point their weapons at all the Swatbots around themselves. She counted down on the timer on her laptop with an arrogant grin "Three…two…"

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole…<p>

Nicole successfully finished hacking the Dark Legions and Eggman's networks. Knocking them offline and accomplishing other task while she was in "Saving changes…." she stated aloud from Bunnie's operating table.

And suddenly a large high pitch squeal went through Nicole's speakers as their enemy's networks went down. Dr. Quack and Rotor stopped what they were doing and shielded their ears; Bunnie on the other hand clenched her eyes shut…

* * *

><p>And back at the Legionnaire building…<p>

Sonic and Tails lost contact with Nicole, and a loud squealing noise surrounded the area they were in. They both shielded their ears clenching their eyes shut as they heard more explosions go off outside the building they were in….

* * *

><p>Up in Eggman's control tower…<p>

The power began to flicker, and Eggman donned an angry face. He whirled around in his spot and glared at Snively hearing the loud squealing noise "What the heck is going on?" he yelled angrily.

Snively held wide eyes as he typed "…Sir…I think someone has taken control of our networks…"

* * *

><p>And back in Lien-Da's secret darkened room…<p>

She growled with an angry expression slamming her fist onto the table in front of her; the loud squealing noise only made her more irritated "Hello? Somebody respond darnet!" she screamed at her laptop as her table rocked.

The Legionnaires behind her squirmed as she turned around in her seat glaring at them "You two go find out why our network is down!"

They nodded fervently and stumbled out the only door of the room….

* * *

><p>And back at the Knothole as the noise died down it finally happened…<p>

Rotor and Dr. Quack lowered their hands from their ears, and their eyes widened in shock as they looked at Bunnie. There was a faint snapping sound, and the small black square device in Bunnie's arm broke away from where it was attached. And Bunnie's eyes widened in shock too; but from pain; as she bared her gritted teeth. Her back arched up slightly as she felt a searing pain, akin of whiplash throughout her entire body as all her muscles tensed up uncontrollably…

The pain lasted for a few moments as she settled back down and Dr. Quack and Rotor quickly moved to help her "Are you ok Bunnie?" Rotor asked donning a serious face again.

Bunnie's body twitched, and she clenched her eyes shut as Dr. Quack and Rotor quickly wrapped a strap around her organic arm. The strap was attached to an electronic device that showed her pulse "It's coming down…" Dr. Quack looked at Rotor seriously "We still need to shave what's left out of there."

Rotor nodded as he picked up Nicole "Nicole, we need to analyze what's left in Bunnie's arm. Is she ok?"

"We will see..." Nicole stated as Rotor hovered her over Bunnies exposed arm "Scanning…"

Dr. Quack then picked up a scalpel as Nicole finished "It seems the affected area now has no effect on Bunnie's person. The intricate sever from the nanites removed the base of the device. And the base of the device itself, which was the trigger of the harm has been destroyed."

"So it would be safe for me to shave what's left down?" Dr. Quack questioned.

"Yes." Nicole stated simply.

But as Nicole spoke Bunnie opened her eyes as she felt the pain of whatever that device was intended to do calm down. And she held a fearful expression as Dr. Quack lowered his scalpel down into her arm. He then began scraping, and Bunnie blinked her eyes looking curious as she felt nothing.

She slightly lifted her head, and Rotor spoke to her "Bunnie are you alright?" he asked again.

Bunnie nodded slowly as her curious face turned into a frown "Yiah…I'm feeling ok…"

"Just lie down for a moment longer Bunnie, and we can put your casing back on." Dr. Quack wiped his fore head as he worked in her arm.

Bunnie complied laying her head back down with a deep frown. Knowing now that she wasn't dead again anger began to well up in her. And as soon as Dr. Quack was finished, she was going to go help the others…she only hoped there were some people left to help….

* * *

><p>And back in Robotropolis…<p>

Tails had packed up his hacking tools in Sonic's backpack, and put it back over his shoulders onto his back. The power in this building was faltering and flickering, and they didn't want to get stuck inside. So they headed for the door of the Legionnaire building. But as the door opened, and they stepped outside they were surrounded by Legionnaires and Swatbots but some of their weapons seemed to be jammed. The sky was still darkened both because of the passing rain, and because it was starting to get dark out.

The Legionnaires and Swatbots weapons that weren't jammed began raising their weapons to fire at them. Sonic and Tails grinned at the sight and were about to barrel through them to get out of the city. But they were once again stopped by the giant robot Eggman had sent out. It came barreling down a nearby street, and something seemed to be wrong with it. It was taking no care as it ran straight for them, knocking Legionnaires and Swatbots out of the way.

And Sonic and Tails were just about to run and dodge it, but another explosion went off in a nearby building. It startled them, and the giant robot reached them and swatted them both.

"Ahhhh!" they both yelled in pain as they flew into an old building that hadn't been updated in this area of the city.

They crashed through the old weak roof and Sonic flew all the way to the floor. Tails landed on an old scaffolding up above. The building was filled with what looked like many drums full of liquids, and the giant robot could be heard stomping towards the building.

Sonic groaned as he got up "Oh man that hurt!" he slowly shook his head glancing up at Tails "You ok?"

Tails groaned as well shaking his head "….I think I bruised something…"

"Me too…" Sonic called up to him.

But the robot was getting closer, and they both looked for an exit and Sonic pointed to the holes in the roof they fell from "Get up on the roof! I got an idea!"

Tails nodded holding his side "Right!"

Tails then flew up through one of the holes in the roof and Sonic began dashing up the rusty staircases. By that time the giant robot, Swatbots, and Legionnaires had rushed into the building firing their weapons again. Sonic was fast enough to dodge the weapon fire and evade the giant robot as it began climbing the walls of the building.

In no time Sonic busted through a hatch on the upper scaffoldings and onto the roof. Tails was waiting, and he ran with him as the giant robot punched a hole in the weak roof and began climbing through. There didn't seem to be anywhere to run until Tails understood where Sonic was going.

There were no nearby buildings for them to hop to, and the open area below them was starting to get filled up with Legionnaires and Swatbots firing at them. But there was a building that was a large gap from where they were now; it was a whole street over. And Tails looked at Sonic with a weak smirk knowing what he wanted to attempt; Sonic grinned back at him with a nod.

And as the giant robot began fully pulling itself through the hole it made the weak roof began to shake. Sonic and Tails got a running start and ran towards the building far opposite of them. The giant robot behind them lunged at them as they jumped off the roof just barely missing them. It fell face forward falling through the weak roof, and the whole roof collapsed. Tails began flying and grabbed ahold of Sonic's hand gliding all the way to the building far away from them. The many Legionnaires and Swatbots did fire at them, and some of the shots connected. But Sonic and Tails just about landed when the building they just jumped from exploded. The shockwave disrupted Tails flight and he and Sonic fell onto the roof of the building they were aiming for.

Sonic landed on his back groaning in pain; he grabbed ahold of his shoulder as he stood. Tails grimaced with a frown holding his side as he stood. They both walked over to the edge of the building seeing many of the Legionnaires and Swatbots dispersed. But to their left were more forces coming.

And without any hesitation, they ran to the side of this building and jumped down so they were out of sight. They were in between two buildings, and they ran from the direction they came from. They peeked around before they dashed off. There were a smaller amount of forces coming this way. So they took off without warning, running at fast speeds past the Swatbots and Legionnaires who didn't have time to respond. As their shots missed and they ran faster because they were currently deep in the city. They were happy to get out, but knew they still might need help back at the Knothole. There was still some work to be done, even after they blew up half the city. Even after they just carried out one of their most devastating counter attacks outgunned and outnumbered…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole…<p>

Rotor and Dr. Quack had just finished doing their final checkups on Bunnie and put the casing back on her arm. Now that the device was finally removed from her, they were attempting to disable it. Rotor and Nicole stayed in the Freedom Fighters HQ to do that, while Dr. Quack, and she went out into the chaos of the Knothole. She quickly put her jacket and hat back on to conceal her messy hair and made her way outside the minute they were done.

It was getting dark out but there was plenty of lighting around the village from all the fires. Dr. Quack had went off to help those who might need medical attention. And she was currently flying over the chaos below getting ready to land. At first, she thought the citizens were still being captured by Legionnaires, but it seemed to be the opposite. The citizens below her were running away, and the Legionnaires were retreating too. It seemed she had missed all the action, but there was still some left as she got ready to land.

Near an exit of the village a large group of Legionnaires were running to their vehicles, and trying to capture some citizens. But they were in a tussle with a few of the guys, Amy, Antoine, and a large group of royal military guards. But as she got ready to land she noticed they were fighting with Dark Legion Grand Masters…

Razorklaw was slashing at Amy, and she angrily swung her hammer back at him. And Antoine and a group of royal guards just wrestled away some citizens from the grasp of Beauregard and his Legionnaires. And with a big smile, Mordred readied to attack some cowering citizens on the ground.

But Bunnie landed right near him on the muddy ground and punched at him with her cybernetic arm. Mordred looked unfazed as he dodged hopping away from her attack, and he lunged his fangs at her. Bunnie held and angered expression as she fully put her cybernetic arm out as he charged forward. And Mordred gasped with wide eyes as she got a clasp on his neck. He tried to break free from her grasp, but she slammed him onto the ground; making the mud on the ground splash onto herself.

Bunnie growled as she held his neck tight and dragged him a few inches and tossed him violently into Razorklaw. Razorklaw wasn't paying attention as he attacked Amy and Mordred went crashing into him knocking him off his feet.

This only made him angrier though as he pushed Mordred off himself, and went to attack Bunnie. But Amy caught him off guard and hit him and Mordred with her hammer. They both flew a few feet sliding into the muddy ground as Bunnie, and she went to keep up the heat.

Amy and she kept their eyes on the Grandmasters as they stood with angered expressions "Bunnie, you're alright…" Amy stared ahead.

"I aint going in tha ground taday…" Bunnie said with narrowed eyes.

Beauregard and his Legionnaires were losing too as Antoine freed another citizen and the Legionnaires began backing up. They held their weapons up as they backed away empty handed. And a large black vehicle backed up towards the Grandmasters and their Legionnaires. The rescued citizens stayed near Bunnie, Amy, Antoine and the Royal guards as they began climbing into the back of the large pickup truck.

And as the other nearby trucks began to drive away, Beauregard caught sight of Bunnie glaring at him; all of them did. She remained silent with an angered expression; her fist balled at what he'd done. And they locked eyes as the truck began to pull away…he narrowed his eyes at her as well…he had betrayed her…

"The offa still stands!" Beauregard yelled to her as the truck began to drive away into the darkened forest.

And Bunnie stared at their fleeing enemies with her brows narrowed in anger. But mostly because of the betrayal of her uncle….the only blood relative she knew was left…but she was starting to feel he wasn't family anymore…

And the others around her began to move to the disorder that could still be heard through the Knothole. But Bunnie stood in her spot until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see it was Antoine, and he held a frown as he lowered his hand. Bunnie silently nodded at him as he turned, and she did so too. Amy and the others were waiting for her as she began jogging with them all. There were people who sounded like they still needed help, and they had to put all the fires out around them. But for the most part it seemed most of the attack against the Knothole had been staved when Nicole knocked out their communications. Bunnie could only imagine it might have sent them into disarray. And she found out all the details about an hour later, about what had happened while she was being operated on…

* * *

><p>And back in Robotropolis…<p>

All around the city since the networks had gone down, and the Swatbots and Legionnaires began lowering their weapons. The Swatbots began returning to various parts of the city, and the Legionnaires began to regroup in their area of the city. The darkened skies still hung over the city and Eggman, and Lien-Da were furious and did not know what had happened. However, because of the Knothole's attack making Eggman and the Dark Legion pull back, no one was really aware of how close they'd all come to an all-out war this day…

* * *

><p>A few hours later at the Knothole…<p>

Nighttime had already come, and all the chaos had been extinguished. But even after all the craziness of the day there was some good news to be heard. First and foremost, they had accounted for all the damages and losses. And though much was damaged in the attack, they had actually sustained no losses in the form of citizens. It was quite unbelievable that everyone was accounted for, even though many were hurt. The Legionnaires were more interested in capturing them all alive, and they did not use lethal force which seemed strange to everyone.

It was something the Freedom Fighters had up on their list of discussions. The Knothole had sustained heavy damage though, and they were going to need time to rebuild what had been destroyed. The other good news was from Nicole. She had successfully disabled the scanning device they found in Bunnie. So their enemies didn't have full geographical maps of the Knothole. From what Nicole had gathered, the device had only got done with forty percent of the scan. And the maps they had attained where only partial parts of the front side of the village; they hadn't got any sensitive information. All their bunkers, resource storage, the Freedom Fighters HQ, etc. were still safe and unknown.

And because of such good news in the face of such a harsh battle, there was a small celebration in the middle of the village. For those who were not hurt at least; and the ones that were hurt were even still happy to hear such good news

There was some music, singing and dancing in the middle of the village; a few torches were lit to give some light. Bunnie sat on the outskirts of the fun though, sitting on a log not too far away. With her legs crossed and her hands on her lap, she held a saddened expression as her brows remained wrinkled with worry the last few hours. She watched the guys interact with one another unmoving. Sally, Antoine, and Rotor were discussing something, while Tails, Sonic, and Amy where laughing together about something.

Sonic and Tails were wrapped in bandages; one around Tails waist; and one around Sonic's shoulder. They still looked pretty banged up as well; the laser burns all over their bodies were clear and visible. They had to clean themselves back up when they returned. It was certain it would take a few days for them to heal up because how much they'd gotten hurt was questionable. Dr. Quack said they'd bruised a lot but luckily hadn't broken anything yet.

Bunnie then took in a slow breath, wincing a bit because it still hurt to breathe. Dr. Quack had checked on her again as well. She shifted uncomfortably on her log as her whole body still ached. The fall she'd taken had affected her breathing and Dr. Quack determined the inflammation in her would go away in a few days hopefully. Because that fall hurt…

Bunnie coughed a bit as she sighed and her eyes downcast onto the muddy ground; her feet were covered in mud. Her head stayed dipped for a moment, feeling a bit of relief after hearing what happened. There was a major power outage and drop in energy consumption in Robotropolis they detected. So they knew they were safe for a while again for some time…

She was glad the Freedom Fighters had double checked too because Nicole's disruption had sent Eggman and the Dark Legion into disarray. Because they only found out after her disruption, she hadn't only taken down their communications, but she'd done other things. Because there was a sudden backdoor into Eggman's networks she also took control of various things in the city. Changing operating settings to cause remote physical damage to various technologies in the city.

And while she was connected, she'd even stolen some information from them both; another thing the Freedom Fighters had for a new topic of discussion. Bunnie lifted her eyes with a blank stare watching as Antoine spoke happily to Sonic about something for a moment, before Rotor chuckled at him, and Antoine looked annoyed at Rotor. She kept her glum expression, sitting straight up with her hands on her lap…

Tails and Sonic mentioned to them all how many explosions had went off after Nicole hacked their enemies while they were in the city. Bunnie then watched as a few citizens came up to Tails and Sonic and praised them. The citizens even lifted Tails up into the air and carried him around…the guys chuckled at the occurrence…

The guys of course didn't inform anyone outside the Freedom Fighters that it was partially her fault for the attack to protect her. Her face remained saddened as she looked around the circle, and all the festivities seemed to drown out around her. She watched Antoine for a while wondering how he was doing. They hadn't spoke much since they split, and even now he didn't seem to pay her much attention. And she didn't like to admit it, but she missed the attention…especially when she felt so down right now….

Then slowly her eyes drifted towards Sonic again…

Her face became slightly stoic as she watched him. He was speaking with Sally now, and Sally leaned over and whispered something into his ear; Sonic looked slightly sheepish rubbing the back of his head. Her gaze hung on him for a while before her eyes downcast to the ground again.

Her thoughts finally drifted to her uncle and his betrayal…

She felt bad about how she'd argued with Sonic all the way back to the Knothole. She felt bad that she hadn't listened to all of her friends more. She had made another misstep with Sonic…

The way she had acted and defended her uncle at his outpost made her feel shameful; even more so because of her uncles betrayal. Because she thought, she knew him better than that…to go that low…and she began to realize after his betrayal he had changed…

He was not her family anymore…

The meaning of the word family changed when an individual treated another bad. And she was starting to see more than ever her friends were her real family. The guys had always been there for her…especially Sonic…

Her arrogance defending her backstabbing uncle today had stemmed from recent loneliness in her life. As lately she had been alone and lost in the world again…she should have listened to her friends…

And she would spit on her last remaining family if she ever saw him again…

Bunnie took in a labored sigh as she kept her head low and kept her saddened expression. The guys knew a good amount about all the nonsense with her family past. What she wasn't sure of was if they knew exactly why she ran from her home. When she realized what her family was she just couldn't stay…

And she had lived alone for a time; staying on the border of the North and South. Because she didn't have anywhere to go. She didn't know what she was going to do, whose side to go to. At the time, she didn't want to go back south because of what she learned of her family, and she was afraid to go north because of her ties. And there were tensions between northerners at the time…and they did reject people from the Southern Baronies…

The ones she encountered were distrustful of her…

Regardless of that though, it was a time in her life where she had escaped. She enjoyed the solitude farming on her farm away from her family and all the conflicts going on around her. She had fond memories on her old farm, and it was a big reason she liked farming. Her family were farmers too…

Bunnie then lifted her head again but this time she held a determined expression. There was going to be a lot on her mind the next few days, but she knew at least for the moment she had to take care of something. Otherwise, she was not going to be able to sleep tonight…

Bunnie then finally stood from her log, and she walked over to the guys through the small crowds of people. When she reached them they noticed her, holding their smiles for a moment. But they quickly noticed Bunnie was not smiling, and she walked directly towards Sonic. She used her cybernetic arm to grab and held his unhurt arm firmly; grabbing his attention no less.

The guys all looked confused and Sonic blinked his eyes as he looked at Bunnie; he could see her narrowed and determined eyes under her hat "I need tah talk to yiah…"

Everyone heard her words, the citizens near them remained oblivious and Sonic donned a frown remaining silent as he nodded his head. Bunnie didn't let go though as she pulled him away from the others, and they remained silent donning slight frowns themselves. They all knew it was about the argument about Beauregard they had been earlier. So their frowns softened as they went back to talking, if anything Bunnie apologizing would make everything go smoother with everyone.

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><p>And just a little seeing distance away from the middle of the village over by some burnt trees, Bunnie released Sonics arm. This area by the threshold of the village and the forest was darkened and Sonic kept his frown glancing behind himself; he could see everyone. Then he turned back around to look at Bunnie, who had turned her back to him. She remained silent with her head slightly dipped and Sonic broke the silence figuring he knew what she wanted to talk about.<p>

"…What did you want to talk about?" he questioned even though it was obvious.

And Bunnie coughed again taking in a slow breath as it was obvious "Yiah know darn well what I dragged yiah ovva here for. I'm so'ry…" she said in a softened tone, and she turned around to face him.

Sonic pinched his mouth but nodded silently as she continued with her worried expression returning again "I meant what I said…and I just wanted to let you know I didn't do it purposely…I made anotha mistake ok? And I'm doing my best right knaa…"

And she had expected Sonic to forgive her in most standard of apologies, but instead he did something she wasn't expecting. He didn't judge her "We'll try and do better next time Bunnie…the future is created right now in the present moment…so let's just leave this behind us all…."

And Bunnie's worried face became curious and a bit confused as Sonic stared at her with a frown "We got plenty more chances to die tomorrow…" he then yawned and his frown softened as he looked tired.

Bunnie's curious face remained, "Aight then"…" she blinked her eyes, but she took another breath and coughed harder "Ack!" she expelled as she clenched her eyes; breathing hurt a bit still.

Sonic frowned again wiping his eyes as Bunnie looked back at him. Her expression became neutral "Tell everyone I'm hitting tha sack early…I need to lay down…"

Sonic nodded once more as he turned to go back to the middle of the village "Night. I'm going to go get a snack…"

"Night…" she responded as she watched him walk away.

Her face became curious again as she stood in her spot a few moments longer. When she finally ambled off to her partially damage hut her mind wandered on Sonic again…

She wasn't exactly sure if what he said was forgiveness, but it sure felt like her actions were let go. And it felt good to not have that extra weight on her shoulders as she attempted to sleep this night. It seemed her friendship with Sonic had stayed strong yet again. Even in the worst of situations it came off so easy to deal with one another, they didn't grind against one another no matter what was happening. Their agreeable chemistry stayed constant. And the final thing she noticed this night was they had always been unconditional with each other…

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><p>I told you it'd be epic! I hoped you enjoyed reading cause I know I've been away from this story for a while. But now that a disaster on an epic scale was diverted the Freedom Fighters need to redouble their efforts on getting a new home. What will Eggman plan next? What will Lien-Da scheme too? What will the Freedom Fighters do next? What is Antoine up to? How is Sonic doing? What is happening with Bunnie? She's seen something she'd never seen before, and as she becomes more aware how will she continue to change? How else will her past haunt her? Find out next time!<p>

And on a side note, I know this story has had large gaps in between updating but it is nearing its conclusion as well. I'm sorry if anyone finds that disappointing, in every story I've done people say that lol. But I think there will be a few more chapters before the end of this story nears. I'm thinking maybe 5 to 6 more chapters; maybe. One more thing, there is a major twist coming in the next chapter. Huge plot point and very significant to the entire story. Now see, I teased you real good didn't I? Hehe, next chapter is gonna be awesome. Later.


	11. Slack Drawls

_**Disclaimer - **_I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

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><p>Someday's later the people of the Knothole experienced a somewhat long stretch of peaceful time. Four days to be exact, and things seemed to be slowly recovering again after their latest surprise attack a few days ago. It was early morning right now in the Knothole, and the village was already bustling. The skies were cloudy, and the white colors made it dreary out; the weather was cool this morning as well. The village had been rebuilding and the people that were hurt had just about recovered. Because most of the village were unaware of how, but were informed by the Freedom Fighters that Robotropolis activity remained slow. So they took the opportunity like they were right now, and the villagers continued rebuilding what had been destroyed. Some were gathering food from their crops, and some were moving building materials to various parts of the Knothole.<p>

The citizens were starting to get restless though, wondering when Nicole's plan would go into effect. Because after their latest attack they were itching to get a new home for protection against their enemies. And one Freedom Fighter pondered how long it had been like everyone else since they started their plans for a new home. Bunnie held a thoughtful face as she walked through the village towards the Freedom Fighters HQ. The citizens greeted her good morning as she walked along lost in her thoughts. She greeted them happily with a fake smile, because she still felt guilt for what had happened.

She was going to their HQ for another standard meeting, because after their last meeting they were finally going to discuss more serious matters. The last few meetings had all been about logistics around the Knothole, repairing the damage that had been done in their last attack. Bunnie kept her thoughtful expression as she walked past a few people carrying planks of wood. She rounded a bin down the path into the forest that led to their HQ. It had been about two weeks now since Nicole came up with the plan for their new home. Her face then became neutral as she neared their HQ door. She sure hoped Nicole would be done soon, because they all knew since they had time to recover, so did their enemies…

Bunnie then opened the door of the HQ, and closed it behind herself. To her right the common room was empty, but to her left Amy and Sally were in the kitchen. They smiled and greeted her a good morning as she stepped into the kitchen. Bunnie smiled back as she took a seat at the table with Amy. Sally had an apron on, and she was chopping vegetables into a few bowls by the counter. Amy then turned her attention back to Sally as she chopped food, and continued questioning her about more frequent trips into Robotropolis with Sonic.

And Bunnie held a small smile as she listened to Sally speak to Amy about mission rotation. She leaned her arms onto the kitchen table as her mind began wandering again. The last few days had been uncharacteristic for everyone. Because it seemed Robotropolis had been hit hard by their retaliation. With their enemies networks in disarray, they were all surprised at how much trouble it caused them. It was backed up by the facts of their checks on Robotropolis in the last few days; there was a significant slowdown in activity in the city. And they knew their monitoring network well so they were certain. They wanted to be certain too because Eggman and Lien-Da looked like they were going for a final push in their last attack.

But they all got a breather knowing they had been slowed down yet again. Sally then finished preparing the bowls of food and handed them to Amy and Bunnie with utensils. Sally took her bowl and sat down to eat as she and Amy continued talking. Amy pointed her fork at her as she chewed and spoke narrowing her eyes at Sally. And Sally looked amused as she continued denying more frequent trips with Sonic.

Bunnie remained quiet with her small smile as she began eating her fresh vegetables. And things were going ok with the Freedom Fighters as well. Everyone had been forgiving of her uncle's betrayal. They didn't hold it against her knowing where she had come from…they knew it was important to her so they let it slide…

She mused at how even Sonic was forgiving of her; because of transgressions on him it surprised her. That argument they had about her uncle made her think he would hate her completely. But he still treated her kindly…and it made her slightly worried because he seemed somewhat indifferent…and everyone could see he still wasn't himself…he just seemed tired as of late…

And she hoped he would get better soon because she was sure she wasn't the only one missing his enthusiastic vigor…

But then Amy sighed in defeat as Sally finally talked her down. Sally put more food into her mouth as Amy glanced at Bunnie. She blinked her eyes once at her with a curious look "Hey Bunnie? What's going on with your hair? It's really long…"

Sally nodded with a smile "Have you been busy with your hair Bunnie?"

Bunnie's eyes widened slightly for a moment, but then she smirked with a smug look "Yiaah could say thet…"

Bunnie placed her fork in her bowl, and she reached up and pulled her hat off her head; her light orange hair poured down to the tips of her shoulders. It was sleek, silky, and bouncy. Amy and Sally donned surprised faces as Bunnie looked proudly at them.

Then Amy and Sally smiled; Amy squealed as she got up from her seat to compliment her "Eeee! Bunnie you look so beautiful!" she said touching and inspecting her hair.

Sally swallowed the last of her food giving Bunnie a wise look with her smirk "So that's what you've been doing with Nicole."

Bunnie couldn't stop her uncontrollable smile too, and she grinned at Sally "I can't tell yiah thet, it's a hair insidas secret."

"Well whatever you've done, your new hairstyle compliments you well." Sally spoke with encouragement.

Bunnie ran her hand through her hair once before she put her hat back on, and Amy sat back down. Amy and she went back to finishing their food as Sally spoke again. Telling Amy maybe she could give her more task with Sonic around the Knothole. And Bunnie's small smile remained on her face as she listened to them converse again.

She had been busy with Nicole making hair conditioners and things for her hair. And now her hair was lush and gorgeous. It made her feel a great sense of pride that her hair was so long and pretty. Whereas before she failed to work with hair properly she had now succeeded. She was making sure she saved and took notes on what she was doing because she wanted to continue to take care of her hair.

That and her new hair made her feel less self-conscious about her robotic parts…though it still bothered her and she still felt she looked weird….her new styled hair made her feel better about her looks...

But even so, in the last week or so after her breakup, she was still dealing with something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. In this time alone with herself again she was enjoying the independence…but there was still something missing…

She thought she would have figured it out by now, but she still felt lost. She still didn't know what she wanted for sure in life…and after Antoine, she still felt empty inside, and she didn't know why…

Though she did piece together whatever the reason why she was unhappy, tied to her wants. And she figured that if she could find out what she wanted, then maybe she could find what she was looking for. If anything it was a good place to start. She was going to try and do that today after their meeting as a matter of fact. And speaking of Antoine, she hadn't seen much of him…

Everyone had been seeing him hanging around Castle Acorn a lot lately. And they spoke to each other when they had to, but their differences kept their conversations brief. There was still some bitterness present between them. And the rest of the guys seemed to be faring pretty well as far as she could see. Everyone healed well from their injuries including herself. Sally was still upset about Sonic, but she still held some level of feelings for him. But Sally said she would still ask Sonic another time if things ever got better; maybe even if New Mobotropolis was built.

And she wished Sally the best in her pursuits…because she hoped she could find what she was looking for too…

Then soon Amy and Bunnie finished their food, and Sally gathered their bowls. They all got up from their seats and went to the lab to get started on their meeting, though everyone was not present; Antoine and Tails were missing. Sonic and Rotor were near the back counters speaking with Nicole as she created more nanites. Bunnie greeted them a good morning, and they responded the same. Rotor even noticed her hair and complimented her, but Sonic seemed a little quiet this morning, remaining stoic.

There were now four large glass vials on the counter near Nicole's assembly, and they all had corks. Bunnie smiled raising an eyebrow at the vials "Are those lil buggers in thare?"

And Nicole responded to her "Yes Bunnie. I will require ten full jars to start work on New Mobotropolis."

"Why don't you take a look?" Rotor asked stepping aside from Nicole's assembly; Sonic did so too.

"I can't believe this is really happening." Bunnies said as she walked over to the microscope on Nicole's assembly.

As she peeked into the microscope, she could see Nicole's tiny robots moving about. One of the robots was bigger than the others which she figured was the Master Nanite. And she couldn't make out exactly what they were doing but it looked like they were eating away at the piece of metal on the microscope glass. That and more robots seemed to be forming around the other robots.

"Wait a sec..." Bunnie lifted her head "I thought yiah said Nicole was tha only one who could see stuff thet small…" she said with confusion on her face.

"She is, Nicole is hooked up to the microscope. It's her vision you were seeing." Rotor said with a smile raising a thumb claw into the air.

"Rotor is correct, you cannot see on the nano meter scale on a normal microscope. To give perspective, imagine a grain of sand. It is twenty times smaller than that." Nicole finished.

Bunnie then chuckled with a smirk "Alright thets enough. Y'all are blowin my mind." she said stepping away from the assembly.

Everyone got a good laugh out of Bunnie's mind blow, but Sonic only smirked a bit. Not sad, but also not happy. And though no one showed it they cringed a bit at Sonics lack of enthusiasm yet again. They all frowned slightly not trying to look at him, and they all turned towards their circular metal meeting table.

Sally sighed with her light frown "Alright, we'll leave you to it Nicole. Let's get started on our meeting guys. I'm sure Antoine, and Tails will show up soon…"

Everyone walked over to their round metal meeting table and Sally briefly glanced at Sonic. Sonic blinked his eyes looking slightly confused by everyone's behavior. But he frowned as Sally turned away from him; seeing the mood of the room take a sudden shift. The spirit of their team still felt crushed for the time being, even though Sonic seemed to be getting better, he was not the same

They were waiting…but they didn't see him yet…

Once Sonic joined them at the table they began moving all the papers around to get ready to discuss important information they'd gathered in the last few days. The rotation around the table was a little different this day though. Rotor stood next to Amy, who stood next to Bunnie, who stood next to Sonic, who stood next to Sally. There were still issues between them all but for the time being everything was ok between everyone.

And not long after getting their papers in the order they wanted to talk about them, Tails and Antoine showed up. They took their place around the table between Rotor and Sally. Tails was exuberant as usual, but Antoine looked tired. He had bags under his eyes, and he yawned a few times. He didn't explain why he was so tired, but instead said they would see in time.

So with most business out of the way they started their meeting. Sally and everyone donned serious faces as she looked down at the papers on the table, "Now that everyone's here, I guess we should start with the relocation efforts." Sally looked up with her brows narrowed, and everyone looked at Antoine.

Antoine placed his arms behind his back with his serious expression "We finished clearing a new area to build the new huts."

"And the lumber?" Sally questioned him.

"The trees we chopped down could be used to fortify other structures that have been damaged." Antoine said as he slowly yawned again.

"Good idea…" Sally said as she looked back down at the papers on the table and began writing on them "…Now that most are beginning to relocate, what else do we need to move?"

Sally said continuing to look down and write.

Everyone glanced at Rotor with their serious expressions as he picked up a sheet of paper and read from it "As we already know, we were able to gather information from the device that was in Bunnie. After we got the device out of Bunnie, we found it only completed forty percent of its scan. And from further analysis, we got lucky as it only got a scan of the front side of the Knothole. All of our bunkers, resource storage, Castle Acorn, our HQ, and other important areas of the Knothole have remained safe." he said lowering his paper.

"But they do have maps of something then right?" Sonic questioned him seriously.

Rotor nodded in response "Well, they won't have any maps once we get done moving from the areas that were scanned. We at least know what to change and move because of the data we got from that device."

Sally finally looked up, and around the table "We'll continue our efforts then. Do we have an idea on ETA for relocations around the Knothole?"

And Tails answered "A few days still, though a lot of new huts have already been built."

Sally picked up a writing utensil off their table and crossed her arms "I suppose this could segue into that information Nicole collected."

Amy scratched her head for a moment with her frown "What did Nicole do exactly?"

A large stack of papers were in front of Tails, and he pushed them towards Rotor. Rotor nodded in thanks as he picked up a few from the top; he cleared his throat as he spoke "Ah-hum…with Sonic and Tails help Nicole was able to physically hack the Dark Legion's networks." Rotor paused as he glanced at Tails curiously "I forgot to ask Tails, but did our hacking tools make it out alive?"

Tails then grinned weakly rubbing the back of his head "No actually…all of our tools broke when that big robot hit me…"

Rotor sighed but nodded understandingly at him "We'll fix them…" he looked back at the papers in his hand donning a serious expression again; so did everyone else "But Nicole was able to get past their blocks easier with the physical hack. And not only did she gain access to the Dark Legions networks, at the time for reasons unbeknownst to us, there was also a backdoor into Eggmans networks as well." he looked around at everyone with narrowed brows.

Bunnie raised an eyebrow in confusion glancing around the table "So are y'all thinking what I'm thinkin?"

"I know I am. There's something else going on between the Dark Legion and Eggman." Amy said with a frown.

"It would not surprise me that they have hidden knives." Antoine said rubbing his chin seriously.

"But it's still good information to know." Sonic chimed in.

"It's strange, but I don't even think a betrayal would be good for us in this particular situation. As either way, if Eggman went down, then we would still have to deal with the Dark Legion and vice versa. Rotor? Other than a possible betrayal on their parts, what other information did Nicole get?" Sally said with her arms crossed still and her stern narrowed eyes.

Rotor began reading from the papers again; flipping through them "There seems to be something big being built in Robotropolis right now. Maybe another giant robot from Eggman, surprise suprise." he said sarcastically as he flipped a page "But it is slightly worrying as it looks like it might have been in production even since last year from these readouts…" he looked up at everyone.

And their brows furrowed harder as Sonic spoke "And whatever it is, is gonna come here…"

"That doesn't sound good at all…" Tails said grimly with a deep frown.

"Do you know specifically how long it's been in production?" Sally asked Rotor.

And Rotor shook his head "Unfortunately, we don't have any recent time stamped data on it. But we do know its construction has been going on for a long time." he lowered his papers.

"Maybe this is a reason why Eggman has been trying to upgrade tha city…" Bunnie pondered aloud.

"It's certainly possible he needs better facilities to do such things. It's something we should keep in mind." Sally said uncrossing her arms and writing on the papers on the table again.

As Sally wrote Rotor continued; flipping to another paper "On the Dark Legions side of things, the data we recovered from them was much more significant. It seems possible that the Dark Legion had something to do with that backdoor, but the information we gathered seems to lean towards an even larger scale attack the legion has planned. This attack could have something to do with Eggman as well."

"How large?" Sonic questioned him.

Rotor flipped a page "This data suggest every part of the Dark Legion around the globe would be mounting an attack. Again, we don't know when…" Rotor placed his papers down with a frown.

Sally wrote some more looking down as she spoke "It sounds like they're focusing their resources…"

"Eggman is no doubt involved. Thare going for tha big one aren't they…" Bunnie said slowly shaking her head looking down at the table.

"They almost did something similar a few days ago. I doubt we get that lucky again…" Antoine said looking around the table.

And everyone nodded silently in agreement. Whatever was coming their way next time was not going to be small; indicative of their last attack. Eggman and the Dark Legion were coming for them next time…and it looked to be the Knothole's final days approaching…

Rotor picked up a few more papers from the stack in front of him and spoke up "We also got some other information that might personally pertain to Lien-Da too." his eyes skimmed the sheet.

"Like with her implants?" Tails questioned curiously.

Rotor nodded in response "Yep. This ironically is the only recent information we obtained. It looks like Lien-Da was just implanted with some device labeled TUY2457 JNK. I have no idea what that is and there are no specific details about what it does. Only that it might be some type of metal reinforcement. But what is relevant is the same device has been implanted into others than just her." Rotor looked up again and around the table.

"But aren't her Legionnaires implanted regularly like her?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

But Rotor shook his head again "Not just her Legionaries, the devices are also being implanted into those they've captured and Legionized."

And everyone's eyes narrowed at bit as they realized even the Legionnaires were becoming stronger "So they're becoming super soldiers now…" Sonic placed a hand on his head as he shook his head.

"That and some of those were ours…" Sally looked up at everyone seriously "They would be extremely hard to stop. And since it sounds like they're coming for a final invasion it's a possibility Lien-Da might want to sick her new super soldiers on us…"

"You know that makes me wonder if Lien-Da heard your conversation with your uncle Bunnie." Amy said in a skeptical tone looking over at Bunnie.

Everyone glanced at Bunnie as she spoke; her eyes narrowed looking irritated "Afta what he pulled it aint no doubt in my mind. They didn't get no important information thet's not known already though…I didn't say nothen about the Knothole or anythang sensitive…"

"They might have been doing both, trying to plant that device and get information…" Tails said aloud around the table.

"With the latter being the most reason to lure Bunnie." Sally said looking down writing on the paper on the table again.

"Not to mention how fast they got that device into Bunnie, we only lost contact for twenty minutes." Rotor said as he rearranged papers in front of him.

"Well it is thare specialty…" Bunnie mumbled with irritation still on her face.

"They did it faster than I expected, and we do at least know more about their capabilities now. Plus, if Sonic hadn't shown up so fast, and you'd been out any longer Bunnie…" he and everyone briefly glanced at her "It's possible they could have put more than one device into you if they had more time. And that would have been a nightmare…" he said looking down at his papers.

Bunnie nodded silently feeling a small wave of guilt bubble in her stomach. Her frown remained deep as Sally began speaking about something more miscellaneous. And her eyes fell to the table for a moment as she got lost in her thoughts for a moment. It seemed Sonic had saved her yet again…

She honestly wasn't sure where she stood in their friendship anymore. She didn't know where she stood in his eyes after the ways she'd been acting. A few days ago she had rebuilt some trust with him, but she felt like she had just smashed the progress she made. She still considered him to be one of her closest friends though…

And at the moment she felt empty inside…

But as soon as this meeting was over, she was going to figure out what she wanted. She had to because what she was currently feeling was tearing her up inside…

Bunnie snapped back into the conversation, lifting her head and Nicole called to Rotor and Tails. Tails went over to her as Sally stood fully up. She tossed her writing utensil onto the table holding a stern look on her face "I think that about wraps up recent intelligence. We'll convene tomorrow and get more citizen relocation, and this possible super soldier business out of the way. But we do have one more important thing to discuss. Rotor…" she finished.

And everyone glanced over at him, and his frown softened, and he smiled a bit; Tails just returned as well and placed Nicole down on the table "As you all know by now, Nicole has been creating nanites. She is officially in the production stage."

And everyone's frowns turned into smirks hearing the good news, and excitedly Amy questioned Rotor "So New Mobotropolis is going to be a real new city?"

Rotor nodded happily "Yes indeed. But Nicole still needs our help, and Nicole's got some new plans…"

Then everyone looked down at Nicole on the table as she spoke "With Tails and Rotors input, we have dubbed this plan Operation Scrap Zone."

Sonic picked up Nicole as Tails grabbed, and unrolled a blueprint paper on the table. They were blueprints for a plan Nicole had been plotting for a while. And the smiles on everyone's faces brightened again as Nicole's new plans made the reality of New Mobotropolis look even closer. Because from the information they just learned it seemed their time might just about be up, and helping Nicole create nanites faster was a great prospect. They were all looking forward to it too, as they all went on with their day…

* * *

><p>A few hours later…<p>

The Freedom Fighters went their own separate ways for most of the day, and the cloudy morning skies finally cleared up. It was starting to warm up, and the sun cracked through the many broken clouds above. Tails and Rotor stayed in their HQ with Nicole continuing various kinds of important work. Sally and Antoine went to Castle Acorn, and they went together because they both needed to go there. Amy was off helping some residents rebuild, Sonic had went to help residents do various things as well.

Bunnie though…she had excused herself…saying she needed some time to clear her head…

And no one questioned her as they guessed she still might need time to recover from her uncle's betrayal. And she did as she meandered through the Knothole with a blank expression on her face…

These last few days had been busy, but the downtime in-between all the work was well welcomed. It gave her time to ponder and try and figure out what was missing in herself. A group of children ran past her, and she briefly smiled as they chased one another. But her expression became blank again, and a labored sigh escaped her as she stopped in her tracks. She glanced around herself looking for a place to sit down; she was feeling down today.

She was near the middle of the village near the lunch house, and she spotted a few logs and rocks to sit down on. She dragged her feet over to a log and sat down with grumpiness forming on her face as she took her hat off. She placed her hat on her lap and ran her hand through her hair with her organic hand. She felt her self-esteem improve the last few days as her hair grew long and pretty. With Nicole's help to create shampoos and whatnot her hair was bouncy and smooth. No more kinks and knots, and she wasn't planning on having any more bad hare days anytime soon.

It made her feel much better about her looks, as her robotic limbs still made her feel ugly, a feeling she didn't ever think would pass. But her beautiful hair now certainly lessened those feelings. Soon she noticed no one was around in the village center except herself right now. And she kinda wished someone was, hoping for some kind of social interaction.

She kept a light frown, sitting in the quiet as her eyes downcast to the dirt ground. Her brows narrowed as she got lost in her mind for a time. She didn't even notice when people did walk past her this time; they didn't bother her either.

Because she was enjoying her new time alone lately and her independence from Antoine. This new phase in her life took some time to adjust to, but she felt more comfortable where she was at now. She still thought about Antoine sometimes, and the attention that she used to get from him. But she was glad it was over before their differences had a chance to tear them apart even faster. They had not been honest with one another about how they felt, and she was at least glad it was done. And she knew she had learned and grew from the experience.

She was also much more satisfied with her cybernetics. Her improved abilities, mobility and all gave her more freedom to move about than ever. She could run longer without getting tired and fly longer when she wanted to go somewhere. She was able to help out with the rebuilding a great deal due to her increased strength too.

And she did appreciate her new cybernetics, but sometimes she felt torn in between liking her new limbs and disliking them. She was glad she was alive, and it had saved her life, but sometimes she still lamented that her new cybernetics might be permanent, and she could never get rid of them now. But then again, she might be useless if she was normal and her limbs could be better than she knew…a blessing in disguise…so she let it go for a time…

And now that she been back on her own, trying to figure out what she wanted in life…she would not lie…she could feel loneliness starting to creep up on her again…. loneliness just like she had in the past, and all her life…

She'd been alone because of past issues all the way up to meeting the guys, and way before Antoine. Bunnie lifted her head and saw a male trying to speak to a group of females across the way to her right. The women giggled walking away, and the male looked undeterred as he followed.

Bunnie's frown softened into a blank expression as lighter thoughts crossed her mind. She did know of the things she thought she wanted; a quiet, simple, peaceful life away from all the drama. She wanted to work with hair and start another farm one day. And despite Antoine, she still did want love and a relationship. It was probably one of the highest things on her list. She enjoyed the attention, caress, and caring from another. She wanted it but she did admit she was sort of disillusioned about being in a relationship anytime soon. She guessed she'd meet someone in the future…

Because despite all the things she knew would make her happy…something was wrong…something was missing…and she felt empty inside…

After Antoine the giant hole she felt came back, and she wasn't sure why…

Bunnie tapped her foot on the ground as her vision slightly looked towards the ground again. Was it the lack of love? She wasn't sure…no one had interested her, and she figured no one would cause she was still getting over Antoine…

But whatever the case, the lack of emotion she was currently feeling was indicative that she wasn't happy about something…

Bunnie lifted her eyes from the ground again looking around the Knothole. She kept her blank expression seeing a large group of villagers approaching towards the village from the forest. She stared across the way straight ahead of herself as her mind wandered again.

It had been a few weeks now, and if Nicole's new plans worked they would soon have enough nanites to build a new home. But as she stared across the way, she felt a wave of depression hit her again, as she realized she'd gotten off track. And she frowned because she still didn't know why she was so unhappy…

She had thought of all the probable reasons and causes, but she still had no conclusion. And her grumpy face returned as her lips pinched together, and her brows narrowed looking annoyed. She still felt so lost…

She felt so empty right now…

She felt frustration as her mind wandered again trying to grapple with her problems, when speak of the devil, Sonic and Knothole residents came walking out of the forest and into the village. She was just thinking of him…

They were carrying sacks, which Bunnie knew was food they had just picked. She watched from her seat on her log as they walked to the lunch house and started dumping the food. Bunnie quietly watched from afar…watching Sonic as her grumpy face turned into a slightly curious one...

She leaned back placing both hands on her log to support herself. Her eyes then became half lidded, with a stoic expression, wondering how he carried on after all the horrible things that'd happened. He was still trying to rebuild the trust around him; the residents were seemingly warming up to him again lately too. They seemed to be happy as they dumped food with him.

She could even see from where she was sitting that he wasn't smiling; he didn't even grin as much anymore. But despite the depression written on his face all the time now, he continued to do the right thing. Bunnie's half lidded eyes locked on him now…almost as if she couldn't break away…

And slowly, a silly grin unknowingly donned on her face...he had always been that way though...trying to do the right thing…

Then suddenly Bunnie felt a lightness in her gut; then a slight tingling. As she began to realize it, her eyes widened in surprise, and she sat fully up on the log. A strong feeling was starting to wash over her….and Bunnie blinked her wide eyes with disbelief forming on her face…

Heat rushed to her cheeks making them slightly tinted red. And she froze where she sat as her jaw became slack. She was feeling something...

Bunnie then shot up from her seat on the log with her hat in her hand "Oh mah stars..." her eyes remained wide in shock, and she whispered to herself as she stared at Sonic _"No...no...no..."_

But she couldn't deny it; she could feel the high she was experiencing right now. She had butterflies in her stomach and that nice feeling extended all the way up to her suddenly light head. Bunnie then felt panicked as she quickly turned walking away in the opposite direction. Her eyes remained wide with a shocked expression on her face, and she fanned herself with her hat. It just couldn't be...

Not after what had happened between them...not Sonic...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Castle Acorn…<p>

Antoine and Sally had just went off into separate parts of the castle. Antoine tried to hold a conversation with her, but it became really awkward. The conversation was dull, formal, and immediately when they walked into the castle Sally went straight into the Royal Family's chambers. He took his awkwardness on the chin, but by the time he checked in, in the Military Department, he was grumpy again. His life still wasn't changing the way he wanted it too…

Antoine was currently in a fairly large chamber, a lunchroom for all the military soldiers. He just stepped out of line with a tray full of food and glanced around the room looking for an empty seat. The most experienced soldiers sat closest to the food, and the noobs sat way in the back by the entrance of the room. That's where he saw a few empty seats…and that's where he was headed…

His lips were curled down into a frown as he walked back to the empty seats; and most soldiers were busy eating their food as he walked past them. He found indifference to be part for the course in military life. Yes, he had secured a place in the Royal Military. Only, he was not progressing as much as he hoped. Soon he finally made it all the way to the back tables and took a seat at a table full of new recruits. They paid him no mind, and even he didn't feel like talking himself. His stomach growled as he began eating his fresh steamed vegetables. He chewed his food with his brows narrowed into a grumpy expression staring down at his tray. He expected things to be different…

Because of his noble lineage, he expected he would rise to new ranks in the military quickly. But instead the exact opposite happened. He only didn't get rejected by the Military anymore because he had connections; but that didn't make up for his lack of skill. There were many soldiers that were much more skilled than him; he was struggling to keep up. That's why he was still a maggot…his drill sergeant mentioned how he'd been one longer than most soldiers were…

He'd been unsuccessful in basic training a lot longer than he would have liked, and for the first time in a while, he was starting to see some of his own failings. That he wasn't as good as he thought he was…

In the days past, it made feelings of insecurity and jealousy bubble up within him again. And he had projected some of his jealousy onto Sonic, but now also at the other soldiers around him. And it made him realize another thing as well. That he might not ever reach the prestige Sonic had. Sonic's ability to run, his speed, it was super. It was beyond normal, and his super speed was a power he knew he could never get close to...

Antoine put more food into his mouth, and all the chatter around him drowned out as he was lost in his mind. He was going to try harder…but he certainly felt like he'd been knocked down…

And Antoine didn't notice with his grumpy expression as someone walked by behind all the maggots at the table. And on the empty seat to his left someone sat down with a tray and startled him. Antoine blinked his eyes looking over at Penelope; she smiled brightly at him.

When Antoine recognized her he smirked "It has been zis long time. What are you doing in here Penelope?" he questioned now looking curious.

Penelope batted a hand at him "Standard procedure. Since the Substitute Freedom Fighters, I, and the others are still doing management like work. I like to come talk to our soldiers regularly; it helps boost morale." she said taking a bite of her food; she raised an eyebrow at him "Everything going ok with the Freedom Fighters?"

Antoine nodded with a weak smile "Yes yes, we all remain good friends. I have decided to pursue more patriotic interest as of late."

Penelope then donned a curious expression "That's great. You know, I usually don't ask soldiers this, but since you are a close friend. I wonder if I could run some ideas by you? And if you play your cards right I might be able to do some favors for you in the future…"

Antoine's eyes slightly widened for a moment, but then he smirked back at Penelope; seeing another way his connections could get him closer to prestige. He might be able to move up in the ranks easier if he had political favors. He nodded at her "What do you have in mind?"

Penelope got up from her seat smiling again "Let's go talk in my office."

Antoine kept his smirk feeling quite proud of himself as he got up and followed her. The soldiers around them paid them no mind either. They started up a conversation, and this time Antoine found he had a lot more in common with Penelope. With her background in governmental and political dealings, they both found they had much they agreed on. And Antoine found for the first time in a while, a person who understood his cavalier stances. And he liked the idea Penelope was proposing. That she and some others were thinking of starting a Consul…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Robotropolis it was getting around noon ….<p>

And Lien-Da was walking with her Legionnaires, as they just entered a large facility in the heart of the city. A large ridged metal door closed behind herself as she and her four Legionnaires glanced around. The building had large ceilings, and they had never entered this particular place; Eggman always kept it top secret. Lien-Da held a clipboard under her arm, and her mouth curved down into a frown with her grumpy expression.

She was meeting Eggman in this facility to discuss some data she, and he had come across. The building was illuminated by the same orange fluorescent lights that were used all around the city. It smelled of thick oil and burning fuels that stung the nose. And it looked to be another type of production facility, only it produced giant robot monstrosities. It seemed to be a place where Eggman did more of his experimental work…

Swatbots moved around doing various kinds of work as Lien-Da re-focused her attention on meeting Eggman. She walked straight ahead with her Legionnaires, as sparks and loud noisy machinery operated to her left and her right. There were many incomplete robots lined up against the walls. And there were vertical walls that separated the areas, but the areas were open. Swatbots looked to be assembling and disassembling some.

Somewhere complete and some stationary, while others were just parts neatly stacked on the side in the small areas where they sat. Surrounded by many tools, lifts, and canisters filled with unknown liquids. And Lien-Da wondered why Eggman wanted to meet her here. Surely he knew that she was getting sensitive information.

And that was one reason why she held a grumpy expression today. If he felt so comfortable letting her see such things she was even surer he was up to something. Though she knew that should have been obvious when she first started dealing with him. She just knew he had or was doing something when her networks went down…

She and her Legionnaires then were stopped by a Swatbot passing by them. It informed them that Eggman was waiting for her three workstations down from where they currently were. Lien-Da remain quiet not even responding to the bot though as she continued on. Her brows remained knotted looking upset, as it was clear in her mind at least, that Eggman was plotting against her. She just had a gut feeling he was going to try something soon…if he already hadn't…

They continued walking past a few more walls, with a malfunctioning robot trying to break from its constraints to their left. A large group of Swatbots ran to the area as they walked past it. Lien-Da then could see a workplace that was closed off by a giant door as she neared it. It seemed to be the only one like it. She huffed inside her head still feeling angered about her plans failing a few days ago. She was certain her non-intrusive devices would have given her control over Eggmans technology. But whatever had knocked both of their networks offline; she at least knew today that it might not have been Eggman like she previously thought.

As they neared even closer to the closed doors, they opened, and Eggman and Snively stepped out of it. The doors closed behind them, and a bright white light from the area had flushed out as the doors closed concealing it. Eggman was wearing a white sleeveless operating shirt, and a blue operating mask. Snively wore similar clothing, and a clipboard in his hand, the only thing that was the same was his usual bland expression.

Eggman removed his mask from his mouth, and he didn't grin; he held a slightly upset face "It's about time you showed up! What were your results?"

Lien-Da was unfazed by his rudeness keeping her own grumpy expression as she looked at her clipboard "The same." she looked up at him "That attack that brought down our networks seems to have originated from the Knothole…"

Eggman growled looking angrier "I knew it! I just wonder how those filthy animals had the facilities to do such a thing. It's even more reason to destroy the Knothole and see what they have hiding there…" he said rubbing his chin.

Lien-Da sighed as she looked down at her clipboard again "And only forty percent of the scans we performed on the Knothole completed. We can transfer the maps to you at any time." she said un-clipping a piece of paper and handing it to Snively.

Snively took the paper, and Eggman raised a skeptical eye at her "How did you obtain those scans?"

Lien-Da frowned at him "I had an agent…" she lied.

Eggman remained silent for a moment squinting his eyes at her, then he glanced at Snively "Do you have the new building orders?"

Snively nodded looking at his clipboard "Yes sir…" he said unclipping some papers.

Snively handed them to Lien-Da as Eggman's upset face returned "Have the generators been rebuilt?"

Lien-Da nodded as she clipped her papers and looked at him "All but one, which will be completed today. We'll start on the extraction process immediately…"

Eggman looked less annoyed nodding at her, and she raised an eyebrow at him this time "You've been quite preoccupied with whatever you've been building…"

Eggman did smile a bit this time; a nasty malicious smile placing his hands behind his back "My latest greatest creation will be unveiled in time…for everyone to see…" he chuckled after his statement.

And Lien-Da's eyes narrowed at him...something just cemented in her mind…and she was sure Eggman was thinking she was plotting against him as well. Which she was…and she knew he was to now….

Lien-Da's expression became grumpy again "I'll contact you once the extraction process is complete…"

Eggman nodded keeping his smile "Excellent, now that our energy problem is leveling out we'll be able to assault the Knothole once and for all." he then turned around with his back facing her "I require sustenance. What is on the menu today Snively?"

He and Snively walked in the opposite direction, discussing lunch options, and Lien-Da turned to leave as well. Her Legionnaires followed, and her expression became angered. Her brows knotted, and she grinded her teeth. The Dark legion had invested and wasted much time in trying to take Robotropolis. All of her planning the months up until now had amounted to nothing, and it infuriated her. They were inches away from gaining control over Robotropolis, but now Eggman was getting suspicious of them. And because of that she had already made up her mind.

Lien-Da observed the facility, looking at all the support beams, and structural integrity this particular building might have. Her frown remained on her face as they neared the huge door they had entered from. She had been making her contingency plans for an exit the last few days…

The Dark Legion would take Robotropolis if she could, but if not no one would...

She would try and take Eggman down with it too if it was possible. And while she was at it, she was going to take out the full extent of her rage on the Knothole and its inhabitants. Since finding out they had something to do with their networks going down, she had something special planned for them too in the coming week…

As Lien-Da and her Legionnaires stepped in front of the exit door, a Swatbot near a panel noticed them. Then it turned around and began operating it as the huge metal ridged door opened. Lien-Da walked in a swift pace heading out the door as soon as it opened. Her grumpy expression remained plastered on her face all the way to the chemical reactors. The only thing she was unsure of was what Eggman was planning. And whatever he had planned for next week she knew was going to be an equally hard force to deal with…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole…<p>

It was after noon and creeping into the evening. It had been a day of pleasurable weather, and it was still warm out. The sun was still high in the partially cloudy skies, but would be setting soon. Much was accomplished throughout the day, and many inhabitants of the Knothole were starting to wind down. Sitting in chairs outside their hut speaking with their neighbors before dinner time. A sweet aroma was drifting from the lunch house and all around the Knothole currently. From the smell of the food being prepared, most knew the cooks were preparing a good meal tonight.

And Sonic's stomach growled as he hammered the last nail into the roof of a newly built hut. He held a neutral expression as he handed his hammer down to Amy below him; she smiled up at him. He pressed down on the wood and straw checking the sturdiness until he was satisfied.

He then hopped down off a small pile of wood and glanced at the three citizens to his right with a grin "I think we're done for today."

A male raccoon smiled at Sonic and Amy "We would have never finished so fast without your guys help."

A young girl; a squirrel; nodded her head with a happy expression "Yeah! Thanks for everything!"

Amy grinned at the trio "That's what we're here for! We'll see you all around."

They all turned to leave saying various kinds of farewells leaving Sonic and Amy alone. Amy continued to smile as they began gathering all their tools on the ground. But Sonic's grin faded from his face as they picked up their tools. He'd been faring well the last few days, trying to move past the past issues with his friends; their distrustfulness and their betrayal of past circumstances. But though he'd been shrugging the chains of the past off, things had changed…

Everyone seemed to be lethargic, especially when he wasn't being enthusiastic himself, which was a lot lately. And that was just how he was feeling for the time being; he did what he could and only hoped for the best. Because the past was now set, and after how his friends had acted, he was having a hard time trying to forgive.

Once they gathered all their tools, Amy and Sonic began walking back to the Freedom Fighters HQ. But during their walk as Amy struck up a conversation with him, his stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear it. Sonic donned a weak grin "I guess I should have ate more earlier…"

And Amy was just about to continue her playful behavior with him, but she saw right through his weak facial expression. And her smile became weaker "Come on Sonic…cheer up…"

Sonic blinked his eyes at her now gentle smile "We've come so far…"

And Sonic then grinned fully at her "I can't make any promises…"

"That's good enough." Amy purposely bumped into him.

Then Sonic groaned as his stomach growled again, and Amy giggled criticizing him for not eating more before they started working. That and she was going to personally make sure he had a full plate once dinner was ready at the lunch house. Though there was still an air of dolefulness as they walked back to the HQ, and Amy didn't say so, but she could see the change…

* * *

><p>But over at the Knothole HQ….<p>

Bunnie just entered closing the door behind herself with a worried expression plastered on her face. The same expression that had been stuck on her face since…earlier…

Noticing that no one was in the main room she briefly walked over to the lab to find Tails, Rotor, and Nicole still working. She announced that it was her, and they went back to whatever they were doing. And she was glad they didn't notice her behavior. She was actually more glad that she hadn't run into any of the guys since earlier either as she sat down on the makeshift couch in the common room. She sat down with her worried expression as her mind continued to race. Her vision was spaced out as she sat in the quiet of their HQ. She hadn't seen any of the guys during the day more so because she had been kind of avoiding them after what happened…

Sally especially because she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the change in her demeanor from her. They knew each other to well. And when she did finally encounter Sally, she was going to know immediately something was up with her…

Heck...she couldn't even hide the worry she was exuding…she couldn't hide the feelings on her face…

Bunnie's eyes remained slightly wide as she stared across the room at nothing. She'd come to a few startling outcomes that could happen, because of what happened. But the first one she would have hoped might pass…but it hadn't…

There was a fluttering in her stomach…the fluttering hadn't gone away…it wouldn't go away….and she'd felt this lightness in her gut all day…

She…she felt some sort of mistake had happened…but she had to at least admit she was feeling something…

She didn't want to…well she did…but not like this…she didn't know…

She'd been feeling jittery all day, and she knew what it was…she knew this feeling…but she wasn't going to say so…

At least for right now, she was trying to make sense of this…

Sonic and she retained a stable friendship over a long period of time. They got along so well sometimes it was no wonder they were such great friends. They were so frictionless with one another it made her wonder why…

And Bunnie blinked her eyes as she realized where her thoughts were trailing off too. She didn't want to think of why, but she was suddenly starting to see much more than she had previously thought…

Bunnie kept her vacant stare, with her slightly widened eyes, and her brows wrinkled in worry across the room. Her pulse and her mind continued to race, and she didn't notice as the door to their HQ opened and closed. She continued to stare ahead until her name was called, and she was startled out of her thoughts. She rapidly blinked her eyes turning her head at Sally, who looked bemused at her "…Oh hey Sally…" Bunnie said with confusion.

Sally raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk on her face "Hey yourself." and there was a short pause as they looked at one another. Bunnie's eyes became wider as Sally looked curiously into her eyes.

And before Bunnie knew it, Sally looked right through her and saw it "Whats wrong with you Bunnie? What's going on?" Sally said as her smile became mischievous.

Bunnie tried to hide herself, donning a slight smile to conceal her worry and surprise on her features "Nothens going on…I was jus thinking is all…"

But Sally shook her head still smiling brightly "That's great. Now tell me the scoop. You look awestruck, what's happened? Is it a guy?"

And Bunnie chuckled lightly, shaking her head but more bad thoughts crossed her mind. Sally was going to continue to ask her about what'd happened because they always shared gossip with one another. And that was terrible because of who it was. It was a guy, but it was the wrong guy…it just could not be known…

So Bunnie tried to nip it in the bud to throw Sally off "Nah, its nothing like thet. I was just deep in thought…thets all…"

Bunnie did her best to hold her smile and Sally looked skeptical of her lie. But Sally let it slide as she did have other important matters to tell her and the others. So Sally and she talked for a minute about new restrictions the Military and the Royal family were thinking about implementing. But Sonic and Amy showed up not too long later, greeting them as they walked into the HQ.

Bunnie was glad too as she felt that Sally hadn't believed her, but that was the least of her worries when she got up from her seat. She listened to them all talk but when she saw Sonic…the feeling inside her stirred up again…

Her heartbeat raced, and she felt a tingling down her back. She couldn't believe it…

She did her best to hide her surprise and worry though this time. Keeping a neutral expression; her stomach was in knots though. But the conversation drifted towards herself again when Amy spoke at her "Hey Bunnie? Could you take my tools into the lab? I wanted to show you this apple pie I made Sally."

Bunnie nodded as Amy handed her all her hammers, screwdrivers, metal parts, and wood pieces. She took them with her neutral expression as sally responded to Amy "You haven't had Sonic try it first?"

Amy giggled at her "Of course I did silly." Amy glanced at Sonic.

And he nodded at her with a smirk "It was tasty." he said in a monotone voice.

"Yeah I know it needs work." she looked back at Sally as they walked into the kitchen "We'll all go to dinner after this." Amy said with a smile.

Sally nodded following Amy into the kitchen, and Bunnie deliberately avoided eye contact with Sonic. He turned around and began walking towards the lab "It actually wasn't that bad…" he said aloud.

Which Bunnie knew he was directing at her, and she turned to follow him "Yeah…" was all she could muster.

Her brows wrinkled in worry again now that no one was looking at her. Because as she followed Sonic from behind the strong feelings remained; it seemed just being in close proximity now was triggering it…

And she felt terrible for multiple reasons now, but more so because she didn't know what to do now…

* * *

><p>Some hours later…<p>

It was dark out, but the weather was still warm. The night skies were still partly cloudy, but some of the stars in the sky could be made out. A lot of the residents were still out wandering about; torches lit around the Knothole at night made it fun to roam at night. It was mostly a peaceful night in the village today. The Freedom Fighters had all ate dinner together at the lunch house a few hours ago as they did every day, and everything went relatively smoothly. Well, it went as smooth as possible for Bunnie as she could have hoped. Because she had returned to her hut not long ago, and she sat quietly on the edge of her bed with the casing of her right cybernetic leg off. Her hut was illuminated by a candle, and she had all her new tools on the bed next to her. Her hat and jacket laid neatly on the floor under her bed.

Her brows were narrowed in determination as she looked down at her exposed leg. She'd been learning how her new limbs worked and trying to learn to maintain them. She put down a medium-sized wrench then picked up a bigger one next to herself. Then she leaned forward, leaning her body slightly to the left as she tightened a nut inside her leg.

She thought she had kept herself pretty hidden during dinner, and no one noticed her surprised demeanor. Only Sally seemed to be keeping an eye on her, and she knew she was going to be dealing with that for a while. But after dinner, they all talked for a while, spoke with the residents and everyone went off. They were having another important meeting tomorrow…

Soon though, the lose nut and bolt in her leg was tightened. And she leaned back, bending her right leg back and forth in the air. And she smiled a bit because it felt tighter, and she was done with her maintenance for the evening. Granted her cybernetics needed much less maintenance.

As she began putting the casing back on her leg, her mind came back to her main problem of the day….

What had happened earlier today…the things she felt were one issue that was for sure…

But all the repercussions of it were even worse. As she screwed the casing back on her leg worry consumed her face again; her lips curled down into a frown. She'd been repeating in her head all day that she was just confused…that she was just unsure of what she wanted…

That it was the only logical reason for why this was happening so fast after Antoine. Those thoughts only further cemented her disinterest of Antoine though, and her nervousness grew. How little did she ever care for her ex? Apparently not much considering the lightning that had hit her today…

Soon she finished firmly putting the casing back on her right leg, and she began gathering all her tools on her bed next to her. She then reached down and grabed a small wooden box, and placed the tools into it. She sighed still feeling the lightness in her stomach, and her worried expression remained as she put her tools up. Her mind remained a slur of jumbled thoughts even now…

Like if Sally, her BFF, if she ever found out, how would it affect their relationship? Would it put more strains on everyone? She couldn't fathom that Sonic would even consider such a thing…

And Antoine what probably have a lot to say behind her back. And she knew Sally still had some sort of feelings for Sonic. It was obvious that this…it could cause even more problems than she already had…

After she put all her tools in her box, she placed it under her bed. And with nothing else to do, she was about ready to hit the sack But she stared at the light of her candle pondering more; her face became curious. What'd happened only added to her problems. She'd been saying she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do with her life yet…but that had changed today…

She'd been feeling pretty low and empty these past few weeks, but today she'd felt her motivation return. And she still didn't want to say…but this feeling that had come over her…she knew what she wanted out of her life now…

But the way this had turned out…it just couldn't go this way…

And Bunnie stared at the flame of her candlelight with her curious expression. Some of the shock had worn off…but the feelings remained…

And a weak smile formed on her face _"…Why…."_ she whispered then briefly closed her eyes "Drat…" she mumbled to herself as she reopened her eyes staring at the light of her candle.

Then a yawn escaped her, and her eyes began to burn; she could feel the exhaustion of the day. So she stretched her arms, and blew out her candle darkening her room. And as she lay down, an uncontrollable tender smile cracked across her lips. As her eyes closed, the buzz still gripped her senses. These feelings…they scared her…but she let them wash over her as she drifted off to sleep…

* * *

><p>Oops! ≧◔◡◔≦ Looks like Bunnie is on da rebound! What a twist! What is Eggman up to now? What is Lien-Da planning? Will Antoine get prestige? Will Sonic be his old self again? What will Bunnie do about her newly discovered feelings? How will it affect the relationships of everyone around her? Find out next time! Later.<p>


	12. Hummer

_**Disclaimer - **_I do not own sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

* * *

><p>As morning came the next day in the Knothole, many awoke to the sun shining brightly. It looked to be another sweltering day and people crawled sluggishly from their beds ready to face the heat. Bunnie though, she awoke with an upbeat mood. She actually felt quite good this morning with a smile on her face. She knew her sudden infatuation with Sonic wasn't good, and she wanted it to stop. But at the same time, she could not deny the fervor of feelings she was experiencing still felt pretty darn good this morning…<p>

She sighed with her smile turning on her side, still feeling a sense of lightness throughout her body, and looking out her window seeing the clear blue skies. A cool morning breeze blew through her window, and she continued to smile. It was beautiful out, and she still had a little free time before the important meeting today. She hoped nothing would go wrong that might interrupt her free time, but she suddenly felt that no matter what might happen today…that this was going to be a fine day…

So she pulled her tattered blankets from herself and got out of bed. She stretched her arms up in the air and her whole body as she yawned. Then she bent down and grabbed her wash cloth and other things she used to clean herself and headed out her hut; leaving her hat and jacket off. She went to the bathhouse by the river and returned ten minutes later. When she reentered her hut, she put her washing utensils back under her bed and headed out her hut again. Her hair's long locks were slightly damp, fluffed, silky again, and smelt of flowers. She still left her hat and jacket off as she walked out of her hut and closed the door again. And she looked around the Knothole with a smile. She felt like doing a bit of a work out this morning. And she then began to jog at a leisurely pace away from her hut and around the Knothole a few times this morning.

As she began to jog around the Knothole and work up a sweat, many residents greeted her a good morning. And she responded to them in a happy manner because she knew many saw her on her daily workouts around the village. As she rounded the northern part of the village, she was stopped by a few robotticized citizens like herself. They praised her, and she accepted the praise of hers and the guy's heroics. Even though she felt guilt about the latest attack being her fault, she didn't realize how much robotticized citizens looked up to her. They talked about how they wanted to fight like her one day to help defend. That and how pretty her hair was.

And after she spoke to them and took off jogging again her smile became bigger. That made her feel even better than she already was…

As she began jogging round the eastern part of the village, she caught sight of Antoine. She was inclined to greet him a good morning but he looked to be in a hurry. He didn't see her as he ran towards Castle Acorn with a panicked expression. She wondered what he was up to but continued on jogging around the Knothole. She jogged through the southern part of the village, past Castle Acorn and past the Freedom Fighters HQ when she encountered Sally, Tails and Sonic…

She smiled brightly as she made her way past them, and all three waved at her. Sally and Tails were smiling, and Sonic had a weak smile of his own. And she smiled at Sonic feeling her stomach in knots again…but also a strange sense of unrequitedness...

Knowing it was probably best if how she felt stayed far away…

Surely she was just uncertain of what she wanted since she moved on so quickly from her recent relationship. She still had lingering feelings from her relationship with Antoine, but these new feelings she had were even more counterintuitive. If mostly for the fact that it could certainly only add to the current disarray within the Freedom Fighters. She hoped her 'confusion' would pass…

Bunnie turned her head from the guys as she continued jogging, and they the same as they went in opposite directions. And her smile lessened as she began jogging through the west side of the village. There were residents setting supplies up ready to build the last few new huts, and Bunnie sighed as she turned her attention back to jogging. She didn't know why she felt this way…where these feelings had come from…

She didn't want to feel this way…she rather feel nothing again than entertain these thoughts…feelings of Sonic…

The way she felt was changing her perception now too. As she realized Sonic made her feel something she'd been missing…something she'd been wanting…

The feelings she felt anyways…not him….not him…..

The feelings of happiness she thought she'd have once she achieved her goals had not come in the form she'd thought. In the way she felt right now...

Yeah she wanted love and affection, but not like this. Because she just knew in the future once she got what she wanted, carried out her plans, then she would be happy…

Antoine did not make her happy…

But she began to see neither did all of her plans as she had felt really down the other day before…it…happened She had even been somewhat successful with her hair after she'd failed in the past. But even after she grew her hair long, and pretty she had still felt empty…

But something stirred up in her after Sonic…and she just had to find out why so she could do something about it...

Because why she felt this way about Sonic had to come from somewhere. And her smile lessened again into a light frown as her lips curled down. Her brows narrowed feeling nervous and worry again as she neared round her hut for her second lap around the Knothole. She began to huff and work up more of a sweat as her mind continued to wander on her troubled emotions.

Her face felt flushed probably for more than one reason as she stopped in front of her hut to catch her breath. She bent over placing her hands on her knees and closing her eyes as she took in some deep breaths. If nothing else she felt she was getting closer to figuring out what she was feeling. She was certainly going to be pondering on it as the day went on. She felt she had to, too. She had to figure out something so she could maybe stop it? Because she felt bad when she thought of Sally. Knowing she still harbored feelings for Sonic…and she did too now…sort of…

After she quickly caught her breath, she stood fully back up opening her eyes still looking slightly nervous. She put her arms into the air stretching them before she began to take off again. She thought of all the bad implications of how she felt. And she didn't like Sonic like that…right?

She was just confused after her breakup…she wasn't thinking clearly right now…

That thought made her blush faintly, and her lips pinched together into a frown as she lowered her arms. She didn't like like him…

But just as those thoughts crossed her mind the noise of someone yelling behind her caught her attention. She glanced behind herself seeing even a few residents looking on in confusion as Sonic ran from Amy. Amy smiled brightly as she chased a panicked looking Sonic.

They both ran past her, and her hut into other parts of the western side of the village "Cut it out Amy!" Sonic yelled as he ran past her.

"One hug is not going to kill you Sonic!" Amy said as she ran past her and her hut.

And Bunnie watched Sonic as he ran past her, and her heart raced for a moment. Then a smile came over her face again as she turned and began jogging her second lap around the Knothole. Well maybe she did like Sonic…a lil…

* * *

><p>A little later around noon…<p>

Bunnie finished her morning workouts and donned her jacket and hat again. After grabbing a quick bite to eat at the lunch house she made her way over to the HQ. Everyone was present but Antoine, and they were all relived to get another report from Nicole that there was still no activity from Robotropolis. So they took the opportunity to continue and help Nicole with her nanites.

Bunnie stood next to Sally and the rest of the guys by the back counter of the lab observing the twelve corked glass jars that sat on the counter. There looked to be nothing in the jars. But the nanites were invisible to their naked eyes, and Nicole assured them the jars were full to the brim with nanites. About an octillion of nanites had been created, but she needed much more to create New Mobotropolis.

But for the time being, Nicole was ready to move her nanites as she spoke to them all gathered around her assembly "I require more materials to continue production of the nanites. I am sure we can discuss this in your meetings later, correct?"

"Of course Nicole. So this means you can't make anymore nanites right now?" Sally questioned with a curious look.

"I could, but to use other materials than the ones I have designated are among other of my outlines…" Nicole paused in her neutral tone, and the guys raised their eyebrows in confusion at Nicole's subtle wordplay.

But Nicole continued "While I am not creating more nanites I think it is the appropriate time to move them. We must choose the desired area where New Mobotropolis is to be created."

And everyone's faces brightened at the prospect "So how big will this dome of a city be?" Sonic asked her with a grin.

And Nicole responded promptly "Calculating…" she spoke and everyone waited "…from the amount of nanites I intend to create I estimate seventy to eighty acres of land will be covered. That is ten times bigger than the size of the Knothole, and a fraction of the size of Mobotropolis before it was destroyed."

"Wow…" Tails said with awe on his features.

And Rotor chuckled with a smile "That's much more than I expected. And that's still bigger than anything we've been living in a long time."

"We ain't had thet much space since I first showed up to tha Knothole." Bunnie said with an impressed look slowly nodding her head.

"Yeah, because we've been shrinking…" Sally said with a weak smile.

And the mood turned somber for a second as everyone looked at Nicole on her assembly. But Bunnie brightened the mood as she was still feeling quite chipper "Well let's get on it then!" she looked around at everyone with a smile.

Sally, Tails, Rotor, and Amy looked more enthused. Sonic smirked a bit and Bunnie was glad to see some improvement on his part as she spoke again "We need to get tha city going before we lose anymore."

"Bunnie is correct. Me being sent back to help you would be all for naught if we are not in haste." Nicole spoke aloud.

Everyone glanced at Nicole blinking their eyes then chuckled. They didn't know if all that future business she always talked about was true, but they did get hope from her because they would not have survived this long without her.

So Tails began unhooking Nicole from her assembly, and the rest of the guys followed Tails, Rotor, and Nicole. And at a leisurely pace, they made their way out of the HQ and into various parts of the Knothole. Since they didn't have much danger on their radar today they actually took it slow. Bunnie took it even slower as she walked with the guys through the Knothole.

With a gentle smile even Sally caught onto, she and the guys all the more fooled around as they looked for the appropriate spot for the nanites. But Bunnie herself could not erase the foolish way she felt. She glanced at Sonic every now and then when no one was looking, and she couldn't stop smiles from forming on her face when she did.

And she felt like she remained in a lovely stupor all the while as Nicole scanned different areas of the Knothole. She even knew she was going against her better judgment when she began walking closer near Sonic. But she did…

Smiling and joking with Sonic and the guys as they dismissed many areas of the Knothole. And she was fighting her instincts…getting nearer to Sonic just to test it…

Hoping that whatever she saw in him was wrong, and make her feelings fade; something like Antoine. But the feelings still didn't subside. The fluttering feeling in her gut stayed the same, and she was finding it hard to pull herself away from him….

Hard to stop smiling…

But they were good friends; everyone knew this. And her behavior wasn't too out of the ordinary, so no one said anything. Despite all her grinning, a lot of it directed at Sonic, she seemed to hide herself mostly, and figure out some more about why she was feeling the way she did. But by the time they neared towards Castle Acorn, she finally came down off her high a little. She was still walking by Sonic's side, but she noticed Sally behind her, and she held a slightly curious expression at her.

And Bunnie blinked her eyes as she looked away from Sally. She began slowing her pace as she saw subtly that Sally wanted to walk near Sonic. And quickly there was a gap that Sally walked into next to Sonic. And Bunnie's brows wrinkled together looking a tad worried now. She did her best to look neutral and erase the worry from her face, but the way Sally just looked at her had her concerned.

And they all began walking across the drawbridge, walking into Castle Acorn as Nicole went on about nearing another suitable location. They were saluted by a group of soldiers as they walked into the main corridor, and Nicole directed them over to a large wall on the corridor and scanned it. Everyone was smiling and watching Nicole do her scanning, but Bunnie's lips pinched together in worry in the back of the group.

Now that she was sort of paying attention again to something other than Sonic, she just realized Sally noticed her behavior when she looked at her. She had been walking a little too close to Sonic…

And now she wasn't sure if the others might have noticed. And she beat herself up in her head for acting so irrationally. But soon Nicole was done scanning, and she spoke aloud for everyone to hear "In conjunction with the most recent maps of the Knothole; this particular area of Castle Acorn seems to be the most suitable area of construction for the nanites."

"Why?" Tails questioned with a curious look.

"If we are to build here it will cover a large area of resources we already have control over. So once New Mobotropolis is built it would be a very easy transition." Nicole stated.

"So what? The nanites are just going to be dumped here?" Amy questioned Nicole with an equally curious face.

"Not exactly. This area will need to be sterilized so a work area for my nanites can be built and can thrive." Nicole responded in a neutral tone.

And Sonic grinned at Nicole's words "Thrive? They sound like a swarm." his joke made everyone laugh, and he glanced behind himself at Bunnie to see if she had laughed as well.

But everyone looked at Bunnie too. And Bunnie wasn't paying attention, but blinked her eyes in surprise when she noticed everyone staring at her. She instantly felt nervous as Sonic raised an eyebrow looking confusedly at her; everyone looked confusedly at her But Sonic then shrugged with a smirk "Bunnie what's up with you? You've been in la la land all day."

Bunnie did her best to recover, and she smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of her head "It's just been a great day an all…I can't help mahself…"

And thankfully Amy pulled their attention away from her odd behavior; she donned a big smile "She's right. We're on the verge of getting a new home. It is a great day."

Sally nodded jumping into the conversation as Bunnie lowered her hand from her head. Her smiled lessened into a weak one, and she felt terrified as they turned their attention away from her. Yep…they had noticed…

And she began to wonder if anyone would have noticed if she had not been so chummy with Sonic; wondering if she should have kept her distance more. But then she saw Sally briefly glance back at her, and on instinct she darted her eyes away from Sally. Almost as if it was guilt or shame. Sally's eyes lingered on her with slight worry for a moment before she continued speaking with the guys.

And Bunnie stood in the back of the group as everyone listened to Nicole talk about more details of the nanites. Bunnie pulled down on the tip of her hat to hide the worry that consumed her face. She had thought her behavior was normal. She had always been sociable and talkative. But now seeing the guys reaction to her, she saw she was wrong yet again. It wouldn't have mattered if she had distanced herself from Sonic or not. As she began to see she couldn't hide how she felt, as it was written all over her. In her demeanor…it was her… it was out in the open… and she couldn't hide herself…

And as she watched the guys from behind, she had come to a new understanding in her feelings. She wanted her feelings to stop…but she saw clearer now…it was Sonic…

And she was beating herself up inside again for getting so close to him. She felt she had acted foolishly because of her feelings. And also she might like…him…a lil…

The question now was why. She only hoped she could figure it out and do something about it. Because Sally was on to her now for sure, and she knew Sally was going to corner her soon. That and she still felt terrified when she looked into Sonic's eyes…because she knew he had saw something too…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the Military Training areas of Castle Acorn…<p>

This particular area resembled a gym, with training equipment stocked around all the walls, and many of the recruits of the Royal Military were training today. They all wore short white sweat pants and t-shirts as well. Antoine and his platoon were present too.

And Antoine was getting yelled at by his drill instructor as he dueled with a more experienced private. His drill instructor, a gruff looking male rabbit yelled at the top of his lungs. Antoine was in a circle with a cutlass surrounded by his platoon as his sword dinged against the more experienced soldier in front of him. His platoon sat on the floor watching, and he tried to keep his focus as his drill instructor insulted him, but the soldier he was dueling with was much more experienced than him. Antoine held a worried expression as he tried to block the incoming attacks; trying to keep focus as his drill instructor yelled at him.

His brows narrowed grabbing a hold of his sword with both of his hands, and he took a step back. Almost stepping out of the circle as his dueling partner's sword bounded off his again. His dueling partner then swung his sword again and Antoine gritted his teeth as he tilted his sword to the left. He blocked the attack and tried to swing at his dueling partner, but the soldier moved his sword in an upside down manner. He completely blocked Antoine's attack and having plenty of time to go offensive again.

The attack knocked Antoine's sword out of his hands, and he blinked in surprise. Not so much because he'd failed again, but because his drill instructor was going to chew him out again, and he did…

His drill instructor marched into the circle with his fist balled, and still yelling in anger "Private Coddles! That is the third time today! Can you do anything right?"

Antoine then stood straight and tall and faced his drill instructor with a serious expression "Sir! Yes sir!"

"Are you trying to disrespect the core Coddles! You and private joker over here are a mess!" his drill instructor yelled with an angry expression.

"Sir! No sir!" Antoine yelled back at him.

Antoine's drill instructor then pointed at his dueling partner "Sit down private Snowball!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" the soldier yelled and hurried out of the circle.

"Pick up your weapon!" his drill instructor ordered him.

"Sir! Yes sir!" Antoine yelled as he turned around and picked up his sword.

As he turned back around his drill instructor held up his fist "Attack me!"

Antoine blinked his eyes for a moment, but he nodded doing as he was told. And he began swinging his sword in a non-lethal way. His drill instructor dodged and even blocked his sword with his hands a few times. But when he found an opening in his defensives he quickly got a hold of Antoine's wrist. Antoine struggled to move, but his drill instructor disarmed him yet again.

Antoine looked nervous as his drill instructor looked angrily at him "Never let go of your weapon private! You are nothing without it, and without you it is useless!" and he looked around at his platoon "This goes for the same in reverse! Your enemy will be worthless if you can strip their hands! So if you are ever in close combat remember this! It might save your life!"

"Yes senior drill instructor!" Antoine and his platoon yelled at him.

Then his drill instructor looked angrily back at Antoine handing him his sword back "I don't care what kind of coddling you got to get into my beloved core! You will get no special treatment from me, now sit-down!" he yelled.

"Sir! Yes sir!" Antoine yelled as he scurried back to an empty spot on the floor out of the circle.

Antoine felt relief as he sat down, because he was always getting a grilling from his instructor. A frown came over his face as his brows furrowed together. He watched as his drill instructor called another pair of soldiers to duel. He felt down about how he'd been treated in the military…everything was harsh…

And everyone knew he got special help to get in. Luckily, he hadn't been too much of a hindrance on the rest of his squad because he knew they would not like him if he did; especially since he got special treatment to get in. He was working harder so his platoon mates would not hate him…and his plans for prestige were sort of an afterthought as he worked to keep up…

This was not his plan…

Things never really did seem to go as planned, and he didn't like that. He watched as two inexperienced soldiers got yelled at while he thought of Bunnie. This experience he was getting in the military was good he thought…though he didn't like it sometimes…and after Bunnie, he felt like he'd grown better without her…

He still felt proud about his noble lineage…

And he still felt jealous of Sonic; insecure about his own abilities. However, prestige was still the only thing on his mind. He felt uncomfortable out in the world again without Bunnie, but he felt, knew, she did not understand him. And he disliked her for that. She did not understand his pride and the noble place where he came from, and once he got his fame, he was going to look down on everyone who he thought had done him wrong. So for the time being he still had a lot to learn, and his prestige was starting to fall farther away every day. He might not reach Sonic's level, but he was certainly going to attempt to create something of his own…

* * *

><p>A few hours later at the Freedom Fighters HQ…<p>

After setting up a hazard zone for the construction of a work area for Nicole's nanites in Castle Acorn, the guys returned to their HQ. It was getting on into the afternoon, and they were ready to start their meeting. They were just waiting on Antoine again, and they leisured around their HQ while they waited. As per usual, Tails and Rotor were in their lab with Nicole. But Bunnie, Sally, Sonic, and Amy were in the common room.

Bunnie was laid back on the couch with her hat tipped over her face, and her arms crossed. She was trying to limit her interactions with Sonic who sat on the floor in front of the couch. Amy sat on the couch next to her, and Sally sat on the floor in front of Amy as she brushed her hair. Sonic was speaking to Sally sitting face to face with one another. And Bunnie nodded her head every now and then listening to them talk. Though she was really trying to hide her face, her feelings and anything that might give away anymore that was already exposed. As she couldn't hide her pining disposition…

While she was working out her feelings in her head, and what she could do about it, Sally's conversation with Sonic drifted back into uncomfortable territory. Sally placed a hand over her mouth as she giggled at Sonic. She lowered it smiling at Sonic who looked confusedly at her "You don't make jokes like you used to Sonic, come on and make another funny."

Sonic continued to stare at Sally with a raised eyebrow "I still make jokes."

"Yeah, but not like you used to. When is the more enthusiastic Sonic coming back?" Sally questioned him with a bright smile.

But Sonic's mouth pinched together giving her a dry, sarcastic look "I'm not that different…"

Sally giggled again as Amy pointed her brush at him, and she grinned "Yeah you are. Nothing ever used to get you down." Amy said as she went back to brushing Sally's head.

But by this point, a light frown came over Sonics features "Well maybe about that…"

And Sally and Amy stopped smiling. Bunnie uncrossed her arms, and lifted up the tip of her hat looking slightly confused by Sonic's words. It was a sobering statement that he expounded upon "I don't feel the same after all that's happened…I'm probably gone...but I'm doing all I can to make the best of right now…"

Sally and Amy blinked their eyes in momentary surprise, but they looked saddened afterwards. Bunnie did so too as she sat fully up placing her hat properly back on her head. It seemed Sonic still had not forgotten their past treatment of him, and he had not forgiven them either. And Sonic's mouth scrunched together as a soft frustrated sigh escaped him.

And Bunnie stared at Sonic as her saddened expression turned into a deepening frown…to forgive…he couldn't even forgive himself it seemed…and now more than ever it looked like the Sonic they used to know wasn't coming back…

And they were unsure if they should continue to approach him about it. Because it looked like he was done talking about it. But Bunnie broke the silence hoping to not let Sonic slip away completely "But yiah are making an effort…" Bunnie said with her upset expression.

Sonic nodded at her with his frown, and Sally jumped in staring at Sonic with her saddened face "Once things get better the happy Sonic will come back…I'm sure of it…" Sally said in a descending tone.

Though it didn't sound like she even believed her own words. Sonic remained silent with a nod again as his frown softened and the mood suddenly felt dead again. The happy go lucky Sonic seemed to have checked out by now, and what was left was weakened morale. The heart of their team had been pierced. And it hurt more so because they had a part in the way Sonic had become. And unfortunately because Sonic was not letting it go, they were all being dragged down by the past…and it made it harder the face the days…

But luckily, Antoine seemed to be right on time for a change as he opened and stepped through the door of the HQ. Everyone glanced at him, and he looked a tad confused by their troubled demeanors. But Sonic was the first to stand, and he raised an eyebrow at Sally "Time for the meeting then? We should get our plans together so we can get out of here before dark."

Amy stopped brushing Sally's hair still looking upset, and Sally stood with a frown forming on her face "Yeah…we should get started before it gets dark…."

Bunnie was last up off the couch, and she remained quiet as everyone shuffled into the lab. But there was an air of dissolution among the Freedom Fighters. Without Sonic's grand vigor there didn't seem to be life…

No one could mimic it, and that was because he was literally a line of defense. His speed, his powers had been an unmovable force to reckon with. It still was stopping Eggman and others that looked to harm them. But with their pillar of hope cracked, and the way Sonic had become; being there doing no less in the terrible situation they were in. They could feel the decay in the air…

And Bunnie felt even more terrible with her feelings in the mix as they gathered around their discussion table. She held a frown taking a spot next to Sonic…unintentionally this time…well it was sort of intentional…but she stood next to him around the table no less…

Sally began moving papers around on the table as Nicole, Tails, and Rotor joined them at the table. And Bunnie's eyes trailed over at Sonic out of the corner of her eyes. She really hoped what he said in the common room wasn't true…

Even more so in the revelations of her new found feelings; even before all the things that had happened, happened. She missed that Sonic they used to know…

She missed that friend that was there, not only for her so many times in her life, but there for everyone. She didn't want him to go away, but she guessed hoping he was going to come back was pointless. Especially after how she'd treated him, and taken him for granted. He was still slipping…everyone could see it…

It tugged at her heart….

And if not for the feelings she was currently struggling with, she might could say why she was feeling this way clearly. Because she didn't know why she felt the way she did about him…and she wasn't sure where the blur in the line of their friendship had begun…

Sally then broke her from her thoughts as she rolled Nicole's blueprints out across the middle of the table. With a serious expression and tone, she spoke aloud so everyone could hear "Since everything else is ready I think we are ready to start Operation Scrap Zone. Nicole, if you would."

And Nicole spoke aloud on the table, and everyone held serious expressions as they listened intently "Yes Sally. Now that I am able to I will explain the process in by which I need to create the nanites I require."

Everyone remained silent as Nicole continued "First, it must be established that the materials I will need are the scale of one hundred tons."

And the seriousness was washed from everyone's faces at Nicole's statement. Their eyes widened looking surprised "One hundred tons…" Tails stammered "How are we supposed to get that much metal…."

Rotors jaw was slack "Not to mention we've only created a small amount of nanites. And even those were limited materials…"

Sally's brows drew together looking serious again "We couldn't even take that much from Robotropolis if we wanted. How are we going to gather that much metal Nicole in the short amount of time we have."

And Nicole calmed their disbelief slightly "The nanites are not limited to metal. The trees in the surrounding forest of the Knothole and any material you can provide for the nanites can be used."

Bunnie's brows pinched together into a curious expression "Yiah were saying something like thet weren't yiah…"

"You are referring to the manipulation of the nano-structures of inputted materials. I didn't explain in full, but the manipulation of nano structures applies to everything. Any material can, and will be used to produce more nanites. Though metal would be preferred as it is closer to the intended structure of nanites already. All available materials must be used to reach the required amount of nanites to build New Mobotropolis." Nicole stated in her neutral tone.

Everyone looked curious and were a bit speechless as Nicole continued "The forest and whatever else can be provided will be enough to create New Mobotropolis in forty eight hours."

Sonic chuckled a bit though he kept his serious look "So wait…the nanites are gonna like eat everything up?"

"Yes Sonic, in laymen's terms, the nanites will need to consume nearly everything in the Knothole to make the nanites we need. As you already know, it would be unfeasible to get materials further away from us as we have limited time." Nicole stated promptly, pausing for a moment as everyone looked somewhat surprised again "The nanites themselves will form into the base of the city. The details on why they can do this can be explained at another time. Also, Sally?" she questioned.

And Sally blinked her eyes "Yes Nicole?"

"Castle Acorn would be an acceptable form of materials for my nanites. The castle seems to be a wealth of stone and metal that we could use. As the materials structures of the castle would take less time to reform as they are similar to the nanites. I surmise my ideas with come up against some resistance though." Nicole finished speaking down on the table.

Sally nodded as her lips curled into a frown "Yeah, you're right about that. Though I'm sure I can convince the right people to let your nanites snack on the castle once they see Eggman coming."

Amy rubbed her chin looking skeptical though; then she crossed her arms and twirled her hand "Forty eight hours huh? So is that just an estimate or will production take longer?"

Nicole responded to Amy "It varies. The more nanites I have the faster they can reproduce themselves. Once a certain threshold is reached the nanites will be able to almost instantaneously transmute any material it comes into contact with."

"So if you were to say toss a log in?" Antoine questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Then it will give the illusion that the material has disappeared. Only, more nanites will have been created." Nicole stated.

Sally huffed through her nostrils as everyone glanced at her, she then spoke with her serious expression "So this is going to have to be a village wide effort…"

"And we should probably get started right away…" Tails said with a frown.

"Yes. A faster pace would be preferable." Nicole stated from the table.

"An what? This is only tha first part of these plans I'm guessing." Bunnie spoke in a serious tone.

"Yes there is more…" Rotor said picking up a pencil off the table and circling a spot on the blue prints on the middle of the table "Nicole needs our help to get this kicked off. As she said, we're going to need a lot of stuff…"

Everyone nodded seriously as he continued "And Nicole can get a huge boost and create a lot of nanites real quick with some assistance. But we're going to need a lot of metal…a lot of it…" he repeated then looked down at Nicole, "Nicole?"

Everyone looked down at the table as she spoke "Part one of Operation Scrap Zone includes another trip into Robotropolis. With a large amount of similar material, that being metal, I would be ahead of schedule. By tomorrow morning I could have twenty percent of the required nanites; passing the nanite material threshold. The nanites then could produce almost instantaneously, and other materials would be assimilated quickly. In no less than two days New Mobotropolis could be built."

But though everyone felt excitement, they only wore half smiles. Glancing at one another feeling dread that they had to make another trip into Robotropolis. Though their new home was on the way it seemed they still had another obstacle that faced them "So we're going on another mission." Sonic stated as he donned a light frown.

And even the slight tinge of confidence in his voice made everyone feel the same as Rotor continued with a serious face "That's right, and Tails, Sally, Nicole, and I have all the details pretty much planned out. We just have to go over them." he said tossing his pencil on to the table.

"So you can come with us on this mission Nicole?" Tails questioned her.

"As I cannot create anymore nanites for the time being, I would be better assisting you." Nicole spoke up.

"Great so you're coming." Sonic finished crossing his arms.

"Before we get into whose going you should probably know first this is a six person operation." Sally said seriously.

"We aint had one of those in a while…" Bunnie stated in a thoughtful tone.

"Not since Eggman's army of Swatbots started growing after Mobotropolis was destroyed." Rotor said picking his pencil up again and poked at the blueprint where he circled "We need a lot of metal and fast. So whoever is going, you're going to be heading to a waste removal facility in the south east side of Robotropolis."

Everyone leaned forward to look at the blueprints to see what Rotor was talking about "What exactly is there?" Antoine questioned aloud.

Tails pointed at the blue prints with a determined look "Those squares are exporting buildings, but there's a lot more there than what you can see. A lot of discarded materials, obviously metal, run through there. And there's a good way we could sneak in and out quickly…"

Everyone nodded with serious expressions as Tails and then Nicole described more about where they were going. The hardest part about sneaking into the city this time was the point of entry. Where they would usually enter from the front side, this time they had to circle around in the wide-open spaces where Robotropolis sat. And after they got the details in order they all began on their final push to create New Mobotropolis…

* * *

><p>A few hours later…<p>

Nighttime had fallen and it was dark out as Bunnie, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Antoine, and Nicole neared the south side of Robotropolis. They had to circle around the entirety of the city out on the open plains because the forest where the Knothole sat ended a certain ways out. They were sure they had monitoring devices around this perimeter of the city too. So they had to trek in the cool night air on the open barren plains that separated Robotropolis from the Knothole. And they were nearing closer to their destination as they jogged in the night. Luckily with Nicole's help they were able to remain undetected like they always did. Narrowly avoiding all of Robotropolis's detection devices planted around the city.

They stood a good distance away from their destination concealed by the darkness of the night; watching vehicles drive in, and out of their destination. And when there was an opening they dashed towards the area. Sonic carried Antoine, Bunnie flew, and Tails and Amy ran keeping up with Sonic. And they all dashed in a line one behind another as they hurried to hide behind many large metal ridged multicolored shipping containers. The whole area was full of them, and full of similar looking factory type buildings like around the city. Only they knew this area was a waste disposal area, and it was their best shot at getting a lot of metal quick. Large yellow dump trucks also came in and out of buildings all around them hauling away large amounts of junk...which in their case was treasure…

And they quickly made their way out of sight of the many roving trucks. This was much better than sneaking into the junkyard if they could pull this off. And once the headlights of a few large trucks passed by a few times Bunnie, and Tails poked their heads out from behind the shipping containers to get a good look around. Their eyes were narrowed and they looked around with determined expressions.

It seemed for the time being there were no other trucks coming in or out. The buildings here had large metal ridged doors, and some of them were still open as the trucks that had went in stopped. The buildings looked to be garages for these dumping trucks. The lights were also on in these garages for these dumping trucks and they were a standard white. The trucks that had gone into nearby buildings could be heard stopping and the large metal shuttered doors of the garages began closing. As they all shuttered closed the Freedom Fighters were left in semi darkness again. Because unlike most parts of the city, the lights that hung from the sides of these buildings were a crystal light blue color. There weren't any Legionnaires or Swatbots patrolling this area either as far as they could see.

They also guessed that these shipping containers they stood next to had different purposes, and what might be inside wasn't junk. But once the initial scouting observation was done Bunnie and Tails walked back over to the guys.

Sonic was looking up at the large control tower that loomed over the city with a frown. The faint orange glow that illuminated most of the city was still present even from where they were. And then he glanced back at Tails and Bunnie "After what we did here recently I don't want to stay long. I think Eggman still might be a little upset from what we did."

Amy nodded seriously "The mans already angry all the time. It would probably be best if we didn't agitate his crazy even more tonight."

"Agreed, we must acquire zis metal." Antoine said with his hand resting on his sword hilt.

Then Tails held Nicole up as she spoke; he adjusted Sonic's backpack straps on his shoulders; his tools rattled around "Hijacking a vehicle can go relatively smoothly. I have already surmised, and detected what I surmised. There are safeguards I must bypass in these vehicles so we may acquire them, but bypassing the safeguards will not be too difficult."

"Sounds too good to be tru…" Bunnie said with skepticism.

"Well I also gotta check for some kind of tracking. I'd be surprised if they didn't have tracking on their stuff." Tails said in an uneasy tone.

"So yiah can hack thet stuff good then right Nicole?" Bunnie questioned.

"Yes Bunnie, if there are no interruptions we will be in and out without anyone noticing." Nicole stated in Tails hand.

"Right then, let's get a better look around." Amy stated in a serious tone.

They all nodded at one another as they split into two groups. Antoine, Bunnie, Tails, and Nicole went left, and Sonic and Amy went right. And they carefully snuck around this waste disposal area, avoiding trucks when they came through, and moving when it was clear. There was a slight issue they discovered before they met behind the containers again. There were a large amount of dump trucks parked around the area out in the open. The problem was they were empty. The large dumping bed on the back of the trucks were bare and they needed one full to the brim.

The second issue was it seemed the trucks inside the buildings were full. So they were probably filled inside before they left. So they had to break in…

So after they met back behind the shipping containers again, they discussed what they scouted. And quickly came to the conclusion that they had to sneak into one of the buildings to find a truck to hijack. So once the coast was clear again they made their way towards the buildings. There were single doors that had bars in front of glass windows. They could see inside and most buildings lights were on inside. There were mostly Swatbots inside dumping materials into the trucks. But as they inspected the other buildings they found that some were not operating at the moment; these few had there lights off and no one inside. Though some had trucks and some didn't, and the ones with trucks had empty beds.

They were in luck though as two empty buildings had trucks and the trucks were full to the brim. Just what they were looking for. So they chose a building to enter and Tails and Nicole went to hacking. Tails pulled out a thin sliver if metal attached to a ribbon cable, which he hooked Nicole up to.

He slid the thin piece of metal into the slit of the doors latch and Nicole spoke aloud "Decrypting…"

"What are you doing?" Amy asked questioningly.

Tails kept his eyes on the door "Nicole is bypassing the door alarms. She is short-circuiting the circuits that would trigger the alarms if the magnets on the door bond is broken."

The rest of the guys looked around anxiously as they waited for Nicole to finish. Because they were standing out in the open, and they could all hear a truck approaching. But Nicole finished in a timely manner "It is now safe to open this door." she stated in her usual neutral tone.

Tails began unhooking her as Amy donned a determined face "I'll get it…"

She walked over to the door and firmly placed both her hands on the door knob. And with one big heave she used her strength and busted the door open, cracking the glass on the door window, and even breaking the deadbolt off. Just in the nick of time to as everyone scurried inside and Bunnie closed the door behind herself. They all ducked down as the headlights of a large truck passed by the door of the window. And a collective sigh escaped them all as they heard the truck drive away. And while trying to stay hidden they observed the inside of the building. The entire garage was darkened except for the crystal blue lights outside spilling in from the cracked glass of the door behind themselves. The wall farthest from them held a suspended metal railing walkway up above with stairs that also led down from it. And there were two doors on each end of the walkway, as well as a few doors on the main floor with them.

And all around them in the darkness, there were racks full of various things, and drum cans all over the place. The materials around the area looked like truck parts so they figured they might also repair trucks in these buildings. And as they all stood up to get a better look around they began walking towards the truck on their right. There were two large clamp claws directly above the truck, and they seemed to be moveable from the machine rails they were attached to on the ceiling. As an opening on the wall farthest from them, up above them, indicated that the claws moved in and out the building. A computer panel also sat in the middle of the suspended railing which was obviously the control panel for the claws.

The smell of gasoline was strong and they hoped that this particular building remained off duty long enough so they could take the truck in front of them. Tails then began walking under the truck holding Nicole up as she scanned and everyone waited.

Looking around skeptically watching all the doors in the area when Nicole spoke in the silence "There is a device attached above the back right side brakes of this vehicle. Although I cannot interact with it as it is inactive at the moment. I would advise to disable it regardless."

It was hard to make out anyone's faces in the darkness but Tails determination could be heard in his voice "Nicole and I will take care of this real quick…" he said ripping off Sonics backpack and pulling out his tools.

But Tails spoke again from under the truck "Could someone hold this flashlight?"

"I will help…" Antoine said as he went under the truck with Tails.

Sonic then walked over to the backside of the truck and hopped up to see what was in the bed. Amy and Bunnie followed climbing up behind him, and they smiled a bit in the darkness as they reached the top. They could barely make out all the discarded metal and scraps of junk, but they could tell it was a lot and more than what they had expected.

Sonic glanced over at the two "Maybe we could add to this?"

Bunnie nodded speaking in an amiable tone "Quick thinken hoss. I'm sure they won't mind if we borrow a few more thangs."

And the trio hopped back down and began moving around the area to collect more materials "Were going to get more stuff guys." Amy spoke aloud to Tails, Antoine, and Nicole.

And Antoine responded in understanding as Tails continued to work. Bunnie, Amy, and Sonic began grabbing metal parts off the floors, shelves and where they found anything in the darkness. Then they tossed the things they collected into the back of the pickup truck doing their best to make as little noise as possible.

But soon Tails finished disabling the tracking device on the truck, and he needed help again. The door to the truck was locked, and he hopped down from the truck "Hey Bunnie? Could you help out with this door?" he called to her questioningly.

Bunnie jogged over to him in the darkness "Let's see what I can do…"

And she climbed up the yellow truck and grabbed the door handle to test it. It was locked. So she used her cybernetic arm and pulled at the door, and soon metal could be heard bending until the door was ripped open. It made a decent amount of noise, but the door hung open as she released her hand from the bent metal.

She hopped down as Tails climbed back up with Nicole "Thanks Bunnie!"

Bunnie looked up at him with a smirk in the darkness "Yuer welcome sugah."

As she went to help collect more stuff Tails spoke aloud again "All we gotta do now is hotwire this thing, and we're outta here."

And it was quiet enough to where everybody heard him, and Antoine joined in gathering more materials. This went on for a while, and they were feeling more comfortable about getting out undetected as the time went by. As it was late already when they arrived, and they hadn't heard or saw any trucks for a while. They figured the Legionnaires, and Swatbots were mostly off duty for this facility and patrolling Robotropolis. But after gathering a good amount of things, ten minutes passed and their hopes of getting out undetected were smashed.

The lights to the building all suddenly flickered on and Bunnie, Amy, Sonic, and Antoine froze were they stood with widened eyes. Up above on the suspended metal railing walkway, Lien-Da walked onto the railing with a clipboard in her hands looking down at it. Drago, Beauregard, Diesel, and a good amount of Legionnaires walked out from one of the doors as well.

And Lien-Da immediately noticed them as the Freedom Fighters looked up at her. Lien-Da's eyes widened as she blinked once in surprise stopping in her tracks. Her Grandmasters immediately donned upset faces, and her Legionnaires lifted their weapons.

But then Lien-Da grinned speaking in a somewhat loud fashion so they could hear her from up above "You have got to be kidding me."

She tossed the clipboard she was holding onto the floor of the railing and swiftly walked over to the control panel on the railing. She pressed some buttons, and the Freedom Fighters could hear the garage door behind them click. She had locked them in, and from her twisted grin above, it looked like they weren't leaving without a fight tonight….

Bunnie, Sonic, Amy, and Antoine moved near one another, and they bared their gritted teeth up at Lien-Da. They raised their fist and got into fighting stances. Amy pulled her hammer from the straps on her back and Antoine unsheathed his sword. Sonic raised his fist and Bunnie did so similarly glaring up at Lien-Da and her Legionnaires with upset expressions as she spoke again.

"You're still alive rabbit girl? Interesting…" Lien-Da looked over to her Legionnaires, and they nodded silently as a few of them fired their jamming devices at Bunnie.

Bunnie and everyone remained still as a few devices attached to Bunnies arm and legs. She froze up for a moment, but her upset face remained as she slowly began moving again. And seconds later she removed the devices from herself and threw them to the grey concrete floor.

Lien-Da then laughed heartily tilting her head back and then looking back down at them "You know, I was sure you'd be dead rabbit girl. But you even seem to have been able to neutralize my signal jammers. I guess you, and your family were stronger players than anyone expected considering the information I've obtained recently…"

"We aint got nothen to say to the likes of yiah!" Bunnie growled up at Lien-Da.

Lien-Da looked bemused placing both of her hands on the railing "Oh? But what about your uncle over here?" she paused as the Freedom Fighters glanced over at the Grandmasters.

Beauregard himself kept his angered expression as Lien-Da continued with her grin "Once you come into my ranks you are mine…literally…" she chuckled "And after Grandmaster Beauregard failed me we shared even more information with one another. I was unaware up until now of how much of a big role your family played in the destruction of Mobotropolis…"

And Sonic, Antoine, and Amy's upset expressions remained but they all did glance at Bunnie who kept her eyes away from them. And Lien-Da chuckled again up above "Even after helping the Overlanders and losing the Great War they still conspired against their own. They helped Eggman take over Mobotropolis even though he betrayed them in the end. Quite impressive if I do say so myself…"

"It was for the best…" Beauregard said aloud looking down at his niece who glared angrily up at him.

"I'm sure I squeezed everything I could out of my capable Grandmaster over here. And those maps you provided are probably the closest you were ever going to get to your responsibilities before you ran away..." Lien-Da's tone was mocking.

And the Freedom Fighters stayed in their fighting stances as anger came over Lien-Da's features "I don't know how you survived rabbit girl, but your usefulness has long since past. All of you pest; your interference has worn thin on my patience." Lien-Da then pointed at them "Kill them!"

Lien-Da first pressed a few buttons on the panel near her, and loud alarms began to blare. Then she hopped over the railing and landed on the main floor with them. Beauregard, Diesel and Drago followed suit, and the seven Legionnaires ran down the stairs towards them.

Sonic went for Drago as he charged with his sharp metal claws, and Bunnie went for Lien-Da dashing from where she was. Amy went to the right with Antoine taking out the Legionnaires. But Beauregard pulled a hidden blade from his cane and began dueling Antoine.

Their swords clashed as Amy made quick work of the Legionnaires and then duked it with Diesel. But the battle was intense for the Freedom Fighters as the blaring alarms made them hyper aware. Soon a lot of stuff was going to be bearing down on them so they had to leave right now.

Sonic spin dashed into Lien-Da, but she was able to bear the brunt of his attack and even grab a hold of him. Sonic uncurled as she had a hold of his right arm. But Sonic did a flip while she held his arm breaking himself from her grasp. Lien-Da stumbled but quickly kicked at him as she turned around, and Sonic spin dashed at her again. Both of their attacks connected sending them both flying in opposite directions. Sonic crashed into a large pile of metal parts and Lien-Da flew into a few metal barrels.

Bunnie was having a hard time avoiding Drago's sharp claws as she moved around him. Because both of his arms were completely cybernetic metal he could attack faster. And his sharp metal claws made him even more dangerous. He growled as he swiped at Bunnie, and she punched him in the jaw. Her punch made him stumble, but he only looked angrier as he looked back at her. He swiped again, but also opened his mouth revealing is sharp teeth and lunged at Bunnie.

Bunnie frowned reacting as best as she could; blocking his bite with her cybernetic arm. He bit down on her arm but she realized it was hard for her to move now as he began swiping at her again. Bunnie tried to move, but he was able to swipe at her jacket ripping it a bit. She tried shaking him off, kicking one of her feet into his chest, but he wouldn't let go. But then Drago yelped in pain as Sonic sped into him freeing Bunnie and knocking him into a shelf. Drago grunted in pain as the shelf fell on him, and Lien-Da jumped kicked Sonic from behind.

Bunnie growled as she watched Sonic fly into a shelf of his own. And Lien-Da smirked at Bunnie as she immediately went on the offensive. Bunnie attempted to block her punches and punch her back, but Lien-Da dodged. She pulled Bunnies cybernetic arm back and punched her in her abdomen twice, making Bunnie groan in pain as she threw her to the floor.

Sonic and Drago were already back at it as they got up, and Amy just sent Diesel flying into the air knocking him into a pile of junk and out of the fight. But Antoine looked to need some help while this was happening. Beauregard just knocked Antoine's sword from his hands, and Amy rushed toward them to help.

But as Beauregard raised his blade to attack Antoine who was now weaponless, he charged at Beauregard grabbing a hold of his wrist. Beauregard could not complete his attack as Antoine suddenly disarmed him. Beauregard looked shocked, and Antoine looked arrogantly at him as he shoved him. And he stumbled back into two shelves which promptly fell on him.

But before Amy could even think about congratulating him, Swatbots and more Legionnaires began rushing in from all the doors and firing their lasers at them. But at the same time the lone dump truck suddenly cut on as the engine kicked over and revved. And without a word, Antoine ran for the truck throwing Beauregard's blade to the ground, and picking up his own sword again. Amy dashed over to help Sonic and Bunnie.

Meanwhile, Lien-Da heard the truck start but turned her attention back to kicking Bunnie while she was down. But Bunnie then rolled over and away from her attack and quickly got off the ground. Lasers shot past her head as Lien-Da went to attack her again. Lien-Da was able to land another punch on her side but Bunnie punched at Lien-Da, and she dodged again. But Lien-Da didn't see her cybernetic elbow as it hit the side of her face.

Lien-Da's head whipped to the left as Bunnie kneed her in the gut and grabbed her. Lien-Da groaned as Bunnie whirled her in a circle off the ground towards the incoming Swatbots and Legionnaires. She flew into them slowing them down a bit. But the alarms continued to blare loudly, and the laser fire was getting more intense. Two lasers stung her as she turned around only to see Sonic violently push her.

Bunnies eyes widened in shock as she stumbled back and fell on her butt. Drago had almost hit her from behind as Sonic turned back to face Drago. Amy yelled as she raised her hammer to attack Drago, and he jumped back as she missed. Drago then jumped forward dashing with his claws in the air, but Amy turned her hammer upside down and bunted him in the stomach with the hilt of her hammer. Drago's eyes shot wide in pain as his arms froze in midair. And Amy's second swing as she gracefully flipped her hammer back around hit Drago hard.

Drago stumbled back with his eyes closed as Bunnie pulled herself from the floor, and she charged at Drago with her fist raised. She punched Drago off his feet finishing him; knocking him into a large pile of barrels.

But Lien-Da was already back up, and she was yelling to all the available forces to stop them. And Bunnie, Sonic, and Amy ran back to the truck as Antoine waited for them. Tails poked his head out of the side of the truck "The garage door is locked guys! I don't know if this truck can break the lock!"

"Then we'll make one! Back up and give it all the gas Tails!" Sonic looked at Amy with a frown "Work with me!" and he looked at Bunnie "You know what to do Bunnie!"

"Right!" Bunnie and Amy said simultaneously.

The laser fire got heavier as the truck began backing up, and Amy and Sonic walked besides the truck. Bunnie grabbed Antoine by his collar and tossed him up into the bed of the truck. Then she faced the metal door of the garage. Her arm transformed into her Arm Cannon, and she aimed it at the door of the garage as the truck backed up as far as it could. Then Bunnie planted her feet firmly as she fired her Arm Cannon. A loud electrical WHOOSH erupted from her Arm Cannon, and the energy blast ripped a medium sized hole through the metal ridged door.

Bunnie then ran at the truck trying to avoid laser fire as it started moving forward. Bunnie jumped up and climbed into the bed of the truck as it took off. Amy and Sonic ran with the truck as it went at full speed towards the garage door. Sonic curled into a ball and charged at the door, and Amy charged with her hammer. And simultaneously the truck, Amy, and Sonic connected with the locked garage door and hit it with all the force they could. The garage door burst open leaving the bottom half bent and run over by the truck and the top half curled upwards.

Laser fire continued to erupt from behind Amy and Sonic as they ran after the truck. Amy put her hammer back in the strap on her back as she jumped up on the back of the truck. Antoine grabbed her hands and pulled her up and Sonic jumped up after her.

Bunnie grabbed his hands as the truck crashed into the side of a few shipping containers. The truck lurched to the left making Bunnie tighten her grip on Sonic's hands. She then used her strength quickly pulling Sonic onboard. And the Swatbots and Legionnaires ran out of the garage firing their weapons at them as the truck began to get some distance from the area. The alarms continued to blare as they got farther away, and they were all sure they were going to send some flying vehicles and patrols out to look for their stolen property. But like their many trips into Robotropolis they had pulled a valuable haul. And they at least felt relief from that, as nothing ever went according to plan…

* * *

><p>An hour later…<p>

The truck the Freedom Fighters hijacked drove near and down the forest line of the Great Forest heading back towards the Knothole. Robotropolis was still clearly visible as they drove through the open plains, and the half-moon that peeked through the scattered clouds every now and then gave them a bit of light. As the headlights of the truck were broken in their escape, so they had no light source at the moment; though that might have been a good thing because multiple flying vehicles had been sent out after they escaped. They parked in the surrounding forest line amongst all the trees and shrubbery to avoid detection. Tails drove in any random direction, a great distance away from Robotropolis, and maybe even a greater distance from the Knothole, and they parked for a while as they waited the danger out.

Land patrol vehicles went out as well, but the flying and land vehicles had luckily went past them a few times in the last hour. But as explained by Nicole, they had a hard time finding them because their tracking devices and other detection software and hardware had been disabled. So they sent out scans but did not know where they were. As proven about thirty minutes ago, because the searches came to a stop, and they knew they had lost them.

So they began driving back to the Knothole as they were now down the forest lines still trying to remain low profile as they could. The truck was full of gas too so they had no worries about reaching the Knothole. But it seemed they had lost their enemies. And the bed of the truck remained bumpy and uncomfortable to sit on as Bunnie did her best to remain transparent and truthful with the guys. And she timidly told them more of her past that she was sure they did not know about…

Sonic sat on one side of the bed, sitting on a sheet of metal, Bunnie sat on the other with Robotropolis in her backdrop. Amy had got in the passenger seat with Nicole and Tails after they took off. She opened a slidable cracked window and poked her head out of it as she listened to Bunnie talk. Antoine sat by the window on Bunnies side on a wooden board and Antoine, Tails, Amy, and Sonic held curious expressions in the darkness as Bunnies self-admissions delved deep into things they did not know about her.

Bunnie herself sat on top of a Swatbots head with her head dipped low and a frown on her features; though her hat was blocking a lot of the uneasiness on her face "Knaa I didn't expect it to come out so suddenly like thet…but its tha truth…I found out at a young age what my parents and my whole family were up to…thets why I ran away from mah uncle…"

Sonic slowly nodded his head as his brows narrowed into a serious look "Even after the Overlanders were defeated?"

Bunnie kept her head low rubbing her cheek from a laser burn "My fam never stopped trying to overthrow the Kingdom of Acorn until they got wiped. And many in the Southern Baronies helped Eggman…or Julian at the time…help us Mobians defeat the Overlanders. Then my kin helped Eggman in secret to destroy Mobotropolis…then Eggman turned on everyone…" she said lowering her hand from her cheek.

"So your uncle is the only one left?" Amy asked her curiously.

"Hes tha only kin I've known off since I left…" a sigh escaped Bunnie as her shoulders slumped "I'm sure my uncle was gonna introduce me to mah part in it all sooner or later…glad I found out before thet happened…"

"Do you think he knew what he was going to ask you to do before you left?" Amy asked her with a curious expression.

Bunnie nodded with her head still low "I think he knew, I knew what he was gonna ask before I left…he an tha lot of them are all dirty dogs…" she added.

The truck hit and bump and the truck, and all the materials in the bed clattered up and down as Sonic shrugged "No big deal then. You didn't have any part in it."

But Bunnie lifted her head keeping her frown "Yiah it's a big deal. Cause I don been befriended by that ha people I was supposed to destroy. I have ties with tha people who destroyed Mobotropolis…y'all home…"

Everyone nodded silently, an Antoine sitting next to her held a contemplative face as she continued with her head low "An now I'm friends with tha people who saved me. Sonic and Rotor saved me from being fully robotticized when I first met yiah. Yiah saved my life…an now I'm hangin with tha people whose home was destroyed cause of my peeps…it don't feel right…"

Antoine interjected though with a serious look glancing over at her "You did the righteous path...no guilt should arise from your circumstances…"

Amy, Tails, and Sonic agreed and Bunnie felt a little better that her friends continued to forgive her. Bunnie lowered her head again and then rubbed her slightly ripped brown jacket with her fingers "This jacket and hat was supposed to be a gift from my parents…" she paused as everyone became somber again.

And she continued letting the ripped fabric fall from her hands "It was a symbol for my family…and what they stood for…"

And the guys knew Bunnie was revealing some deep personal things about her past. So they were even more forgiving of her being so truthful. And the truck started turning left to move around a bend, and everyone swayed to the right as the truck drove straight again.

"Well you've done plenty to prove them wrong. And if we can get New Mobotropolis built then all is forgiven." Sonic smirked a bit.

And Bunnie lifted her head with a weak smile and a chuckle at his joke. She glanced over at Antoine who gave her a look of reassurance and Amy smiled at her from the open window. It felt good that they were letting it go…even better than she could let go of the past sometimes…

She found it hard to let go of her past, and self-forgiveness was stubborn in her. But seeing others outside herself forgive so easily made her grip loosen a little. And she found she was starting to not hold on so hard anymore…

Maybe even let it all rot in the past one day…

The truck bounced up and down again as Bunnie's eyes imperceptibly looked at Sonic. She kept her weak smile because he was probably still one of the biggest pillars in her life. Even though she had not seen it so much in the past, but she would not had made it without him. And with her feelings as of late…she continued to see him in a new light…

Soon though Antoine stretched his arms into the air clenching his eyes shut as he let out a big yawn. And not long after Sonic and Amy yawned making Bunnie giggle "I guess yawning really is contagious."

Antoine lowered his arms rubbing his eyes "Are their cushions in that compartment?" he looked over at Amy.

Amy nodded raising an eyebrow "Yeah but the springs are sticking out a bit."

Antoine steadied himself as he stood "Well it is better than ziss junk back here. I'm tired, let me get in there."

Amy nodded as she moved aside and Antoine climbed through the window. Sonic stood from where he was sitting and moved his way through the junk to Bunnie's side of the truck. He stood not far from her resting his arms over the side of the truck; staring out at Robotropolis in the night. And as it all became quiet again Bunnie waited for a moment before she mimicked Sonic, getting up, turning around, and resting her arms over the side of the truck as well; quietly staring at the orange glow of Robotropolis in the distance.

So while in the temporary silence Bunnie took the time to retreat into her own thoughts like everyone else was. Sonic and she remained quiet as they stood next to one another, and she could see him out the corner of her eyes as she stared ahead.

She thought of earlier today, wondering if anyone had suspected anything of her. Because unfortunately she was sure everyone had saw her behavior was a tad off. She knew Sally saw something in her eyes, but she wondered what Sonic saw when he saw her behaving strangely.

Her eyes moved away from him as she stared at the fast passing ground below. And she began to ponder on her feelings again…about Sonic…

She knew they were there now…

And as she stood next to him, she still felt a high; a fluttering in her stomach that she couldn't shake and wouldn't go away. And she pondered on it all day, wondering why she had begun to feel this way. Trying to make sense of these feelings…

But after she just spilled her guts to everyone about her past, she began to realize a possible reason why. And Bunnie's brows narrowed into a worried expression as she stared downwards at the fast passing ground. Their forgiveness and letting go made her see even more how Sonic had been there for her so much in her life…

And memories began to flash in her mind about Sonic saving her life many times over the years. The first time they'd met, saving her from being completely robotticized, and saving her and everyone multiple times. Being a goofy friend cheering her up when she was down. Times in the past where he'd gone out of his way to get hard to get parts for her old limbs. Recent memories of him continuing to do the right things even after everyone had treated him badly. How he'd saved her life recently twice even after he found out she used him to make Antoine jealous, and in a way saving her from her Uncles underhanded ways. So many different little things he did as her friend…

Then gears started to click in her mind as she slowly began to realize Sonic…he made her feel…

And her eyes widened slightly; making sure to keep her eyes away from Sonic and not make a move. But her heart raced as the sudden realization took her by surprise. As it made more sense to her now why she was feeling this infatuation; this happiness she'd been searching for. The hole of loneliness she'd been feeling as of late had seemed to wash away, replaced by this passion she could not describe. The feelings she thought she'd have with Antoine. These feelings of happiness she thought she would experience in the future…she was feeling right now…

And Bunnies eyes widened a bit more as she realized…it was him…

It was him she wanted…

The happiness she'd been longing for…he made her feel it…he made her feel complete…

All the loneliness she hoped to free herself from in her life, and all the happiness she thought she would achieve through her goals had not come. Instead, the person standing next to her had done more compassionate acts for her than she just begun to recognize. And she was appreciating it more than she ever did before. He cared for her in many ways over the years, in an unintentional fashion, but still caring for her no less in ways no one ever had. Her skin felt quite warm…and the closeness they already shared not only in their friendship…but the closeness she experienced towards him only amplified…

He'd always been there for her…

Even if she was just starting to see it…

Her goals, the farm she still wanted to build, the hair she wanted to work with, the quiet peaceful life she was aiming for. All those realities seemed possible again because she could feel the passion for them again, her motivation had returned. She wanted it all even more now because she was experiencing these happy feelings, only, she knew without the happiness first everything else fell to the wayside…

She had been in denial about it for a long time…but she knew without love none of her goals really mattered as much to her…she didn't even care as much as she pretended she did…

Without love, the affection or caring of another everything was sort of meaningless to her…

That's what she always wanted above all and everything else…

That's what she was hoping for with Antoine…maybe that's why things fell apart with Antoine…

The feelings she'd been missing had come to her…and she was just starting to see the closeness that had always been between Sonic and her…that and now she was starting to see their closeness was more than that…

And with Sonic she….she…li…well she liked something about him…she could no longer deny how she felt today…she….like liked him….

And immediately doubts ran through her mind, pinching her lips together into a frown blocking the mere possibility of what her mind was even entertaining. She and Sonic…it could not happen…

Her head dipped lower as the truck sped up a bit. They looked to be getting nearer to the Knothole, and she was glad because she wanted to stop thinking for a while. But if she had these feelings didn't that mean there was something else in their friendship? Bunnie felt dread in her gut now. But there was something between them she could not describe; a closeness that was unconditional. And the light feeling in her gut made her all the more worried that what she was feeling was not a delusion…

* * *

><p>Sometime later…<p>

The yellow dump truck the Freedom Fighters had hijacked rolled into the Knothole. It was still very dark out and around two p.m. The racket from the loud engine of the truck awoke many in the village thinking there was danger. They came running with torches to find the Freedom Fighters were instead successful on their mission. It also didn't help that the truck couldn't come in across the bridge on the east side of the village; it was too big. Tails instead drove the truck down the dirt path of the west side of the village.

And the residents with torches followed them as Amy told them from the window of the truck that they could use some light. Some residents went back to bed, but the ones that remained followed the truck as Tails drove it near Castle Acorn. By that point, Sally and Rotor were alerted to their presence and found the parked truck full of metal and various materials near Castle Acorn.

Nighttime military soldiers that were patrolling had even come to observe the spectacle. The Residents cheered on Bunnie, Tails, Nicole, Sonic, and Antoine as they climbed down from the truck. But the brief merriment was cut short as it was late and everyone was tired. So the royal military soldiers went back to patrolling, and the residents went to retire to bed. They left their torches behind in the ground to give the Freedom Fighters some light though.

And Rotor, Tails, and Nicole climbed into the bed of the truck to see their haul. While the others discussed small details about how their mission had gone. Sally made mention of all their minor scrapes and scruffs with a smirk "Well it sounds like everything went smoothly."

Bunnie nodded with a smile "Those lasers didn't even sting." she said jokingly as everyone knew they did.

"I'm glad we had five people. We needed all the help we got." Sonic said with a nod.

Sally rubbed her chin "And what exactly was Lien-Da talking about?"

Bunnie spoke up first "…I got some stuff tah let Rotor, and yiah know…I'll tell yiah tomorrow…" she said with a slightly serious expression.

Sally nodded blinking curiously at Bunnie as Sonic glanced over at Antoine "Oh, and nice work handling the Baron Antoine. You were on you're A game." he said with a smirk.

And Antoine donned a smug look for the second time this night, gladly accepting Sonic's complement in the most arrogant of manners because of the attention he was getting "Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't accompanied you all."

And immediately Sonic's brows narrowed looking annoyed, but Bunnie looked equally or more so. Her mouth curled down into a deep frown as she glanced over at Antoine, who looked smugly at Sonic. And the level of annoyance on her features made Sally's and Amy's slight annoyance pale in comparison. But before the attention was off Antoine Sally noticed Bunnie and her reaction. Bunnie quickly tried to cover her reaction, pretending to yawn stretching her arms into the air, but she knew Sally had saw her.

"Yeah yeah…" Sonic responded in slight irritancy.

But just above them Tails poked his head out from the side of the bed of the truck "Hey Sonic, Amy, Antoine? Could you give Nicole and us a hand? I think we found some salvageable materials we could use." he said with a smile.

Sonic, Amy, and Antoine nodded and climbed up onto the truck as Bunnie lowered her arms. Her expression became neutral but Sally grabbed her by her organic arm with a serious expression. Bunnie blinked in surprise as Sally spoke in a stern tone lowering her voice _"Could I speak with you alone Bunnie?"_

Bunnie nodded silently, and her pulse increased as Sally let go of her arm. They walked over to the front side of the truck, just out of earshot of everyone and the light from the torches was dimmer.

Once out of sight Sally looked uneven and worry came across her face as she crossed her arms. And Bunnie's eyes were slightly wide as Sally kept strong eye contact with her "Bunnie…is everything ok? You seem a little thrown off these last few days."

And Bunnie donned a light frown to hide the worry and surprise on her, but the subtly of Sally's statement made her nervous "Auhum fine Sally girl. If anythang, I still feel a bit of a downer bout Antoine…" she lied.

Sally paused keeping her uneasy look "…Well just let me know if you wanna talk about it. I can see your acting…different…and Antoine has affected you deeply…I just wanted to let you know you can talk about it with me…."

"Let's chat in the morning. I could go for some socializing after I get some shut eye." Bunnie's frown softened.

Sally nodded at her and what she was about to say was interrupted as the guys called her name. Bunnie and Sally nodded at one another as they walked back to the side of the truck to see what was up. But Bunnie had a bad feeling in her gut, and she knew Sally knew something now. She wondered what she meant by…different…in her statement…but at the same time she knew different meant Sonic…

* * *

><p>It looks like it's all finally coming to a head! As the Freedom Fighters push to build New Mobotropolis, will it be enough before Eggman and the Dark Legion come to the Knothole? Will Antoine achieve his prestige, or will life knock him down off his high horse? What of Sonic? Can he let go? Now that Bunnie has figured out her feelings, and knows she like likes Sonic, how will she approach it? How will her feelings affect everything around her now that she knows what she wants out of her life? Find out next time! Later.<p>

One a side note I wanted to let me readers know where the story is going. I figured some more out about what wanted to do. And the next chapter will be the conclusion to the story. I think I've built everything else up good so far. So the next chapter and a epilogue will conclude this tale. And an author's notes too. But I thank you all whose read and reviewed this far. This might be my final story so enjoy the ride while you can :)


	13. Bandoliers Part 1

**_Disclaimer - _**I do not own Sonic or any other characters. They are property of SEGA and anything Sonic the hedgehog affiliated with it.

I wanted to give a quick shout out to **TheGrunt22 **for some constructive criticism I received. They pointed out something I didn't notice I do a lot and that was redundancies. I noticed it was mainly in my dialogue so I think I might have greatly reduced my redundancies this time around. Enjoy!**  
><strong>

Part 1 of Bandoliers

* * *

><p>A day later…<p>

It was dark out again as three Freedom Fighters trekked in the night towards Robotropolis again. Sonic, Sally, and Nicole approached the city from the east like they usually did. But they stayed more in cover than the usually would, hiding behind a large power line tower to conceal themselves as they weren't going into the city tonight; though they were right in front of it. They were only observing it on this recon mission. They wanted to stay light and fast so only two people were needed.

And they remained undetected watching Swatbots and Legionnaires patrol the streets of the city; the orange tinge of the lights in the city never changed. Strangely though there seemed to be a lot more of each, Swatbots and Legionnaires, than usual…

With serious expressions Sonic reached into his brown backpack and pulled out Nicole. He handed her to Sally which she took. But he also pulled out a pair of binoculars which had a ribbon cable attached to it. He gave that to Sally, and she took it hooking Nicole up to them.

Once connected Sally and Sonic peeked their heads out from behind the tower and glanced around. Sally whispered _"Initiate your scan Nicole…"_

"Scanning…" Nicole said as Sally looked around with the binoculars.

The vision of the binoculars were green and as Sally looked around through Nicole's vision, she could see through some of the buildings around her. But Nicole was detecting all kinds of new machinery, highlighting them and any sort of thing. What was scanned was projected onto the lens of the binoculars.

And Sonic spoke in an uneven tone _"Is it me or do a lot of the buildings look better?"_

Sally slowly nodded her head_ "It looks like there are more Swatbots and Legionnaires here too…"_

And it fell silent for a moment as they both continued to look around. They were on high alert back at the Knothole as they hadn't detected any activity from Robotropolis in a while. And whenever that happened, it was surely likely Eggman was up to something…

As it was now, since the Dark Legion had been helping Eggman, Robotropolis had been becoming more efficient, like it was now. In the last few weeks in their back and forth bouts with their enemies, they'd seen the increased efficient technology with their own eyes as they went into the city. Also with Nicole detecting it but as of today Nicole detected something suspicious going on in the city. And with prior knowledge of Eggman already upgrading the city to run more efficient, everyone became weary of Nicole's readouts.

That being…that in the last twenty four hours Robotropolis's energy consumption had gone up three hundred percent…

And the dreadful meaning of those numbers meant Robotropolis was finally getting to the point where it was producing more resources than it was consuming. The only reason why Eggman hadn't attacked them yet…

Robotropolis had struggled with its resource consumption for years. But with the Dark Legions help that had changed in a matter of months. And that meant the horrible reality that everyone had feared had finally come to life…

Robotropolis finally looked to have enough resources to attack them…

Eggman finally had enough to attack without taking away from himself…

And to the Freedom Fighters, despite all they had done, it felt like this news had come in the blink of an eye…

And all their efforts to fight back felt fruitless now…

And like Mobotropolis before it was destroyed…they knew…the Knothole was no longer safe, and soon they would have to leave…

Sally huffed out a sigh as she lowered the binoculars and glanced at Sonic with a frown. He looked at Sally the same as Nicole spoke "Scanning complete. I have detected new and additional technology throughout the city. Compared with our most recent data, seventy percent of Robotropolis has now been upgraded."

Sonic and Sally's frown only deepened at her words as Sally unhooked her and gave the binoculars back to Sonic. He put it back into his backpack and picked up Sally. She placed her arms around his neck, and they immediately raced back towards the Knothole. They had some bad news for the guys and from the looks of it, there would be no more trips into Robotropolis. There wasn't much they could do to damage Eggman now that the city was running more efficient. They had to do something soon because they weren't going to last much longer. Also Nicole needed to get back to the Knothole to create more nanites.

And if not for Nicole and the prospect of New Mobotropolis they would surely be doomed…

* * *

><p>The next morning…<p>

Two days had passed since the Freedom Fighters latest successful mission into Robotropolis and everyone was on edge with recent unnerving news. The sun was high in the clear blues skies, and it was a hot day, but the Knothole looked a little different than usual. Swaths of trees surrounding the village had been chopped down and just about the whole of the village were working. Using a single chainsaw created by Tails and Rotor some time ago, the residents had been working nearly nonstop the whole day before. And today they were doing the same, with today being the second day the residents got up early and were back to chopping wood immediately.

The day before, after the Freedom Fighters successful mission the residents of the Knothole were informed of what needed to be done. And everyone in the village had been working ever since. And just the mention of New Mobotropolis being their new home was enough to spur everyone into action. All the residents were determined as they chopped wood and carried it to Castle Acorn. And the urge to build New Mobotropolis was amplified by recent news of Robotropolis. The Freedom Fighters didn't inform them of everything, but the Knothole had gone back into a state of high caution these last two days. Everyone was on edge but they were also optimistic…sort of…

And over at Castle Acorn, a few residents carrying wood walked across the open drawbridge into the castle. They turned left, right at the entrance threshold of the castle to Nicole's nanite area, and the Freedom Fighters were talking to King Maxx, Queen Alicia, and a few Generals. The residents got in a line for Nicole's nanites, behind a few ahead of them tossing wood into a small area blocked off by yellow tape. Rotor stood at the front as he watched the residents toss their wood into the area where Nicole's nanites were. The square like area was fairly small, and a square piece of sheet metal was bent, and conformed around short wall ridges. And the next people in front tossed there wood into the square like area.

They left to get more, and the next residents in line stepped forward looking curiously at Rotor. He nodded at them with a neutral expression, and then they tossed their wood down into the square metallic box like area. And their eyes widened in amazement as they watched the wood they tossed in suddenly start to disappear.

Little by little the wood looked to disappear into thin air and the residents glanced over at Rotor in amazement, and he smirked "We still need more."

The residents nodded in bewilderment as they got out of line. The next in line looked at Rotor the same, and he nodded as they dropped their wood. Next to Nicole's nanite creation area, Nicole and the others were having some expected opposition to one part of Nicole's plans.

Sally's father, King Maxx held a frown with his fist on his hips as he spoke to Bunnie, Sally, and Nicole. The skeptical look in his eyes made Bunnie and Sally hold their dry looks in return "So let me get this straight…" he glanced over at the Generals and the Queen, and they nodded with skeptical looks as well "And you are hearing what I'm hearing…"

And Maxx looked back at Sally "You want to destroy castle Acorn with your robots? How is this supposed to build us a new dwelling again?"

Bunnie rubbed the back of her head, and Sally sighed with irritance on her face "No, for the third time father. Yes, Castle Acorn will be consumed, but it would help build New Mobotropolis even faster."

Alicia glanced over behind Bunnie, Sally, and Nicole, at Nicole's nanite work area then back at her daughter raising a skeptical eye at the trio "I don't see anything. I find it hard to believe your claims of these tiny robots that are supposed to be helping us."

And Sally and Bunnie glanced at one another with sympathetic faces. Knowing what they were trying to sell was beyond the regular grasps of reason. They didn't even believe Nicole when she first told them about the nanites or any of the things she talked about.

But then Sally held Nicole up as she spoke and everyone looked at her in Sally's hand "The nanites can transmute into many forms with a high rate of density. The technical specifics of why are lengthy, so to save you time, yes, what I have said is possible. And Castle Acorn is the largest mass in the Knothole. I will require it to create more nanites."

"But the castle isn't made of metal." Maxx said slightly with irratance in his voice.

"It does not need to be." Nicole responded.

And the Queen, King, and Generals looked more confused as Sally's brows knotted in determination "You know the Knothole is on high alert because of recent info. We're going to have to leave sometime in the near future anyway because Eggman has finally upgraded Robotropolis. So we need the castle as materials regardless..."

King Maxx, Queen Alicia, and the Generals looked at one another with varying degrees of upset, then back at Bunnie, Sally, and Nicole. Bunnie and Sally donned frowns as they knew of the resistance they would get from the Queen and King.

But soon King Maxx rubbed the back of his neck still looking irritated "…I think we would all have to agree on the recent information you've obtained…Eggman is much more likely to strike…"

And everyone nodded as Maxx lowered his hand from his neck "…But if it must come to this, let Castle Acorn be used as a last resort." he glanced down at Nicole in Sally 's hand and spoke with less strength and a frown "If you must use the Castle then so be it..."

And Bunnie and Sally smiled a bit now that they finally were getting approval from the King because he hadn't budged all morning; Sally responded "Well, we still have some work to do so we'll keep you updated."

"Very well Sally. We are still packing and moving so we must get back to managing that. Please keep us in the loop." her mother said donning a weak smile.

"We'll round y'all all up in a few hours." Bunnie nodded.

And at that, the King, Queen, and the Generals turned and left. Sally and Bunnie then looked relived at one another as Nicole spoke in Sally's hand "They were enduring."

Sally chuckled as she turned around and Bunnie followed "I told you we could convince them."

Bunnie and Sally walked over to Rotor at Nicole's work area, and a few residents just tossed more wood onto Nicole's nanites. The chunks of wood disappeared as Sally handed Nicole to Rotor "We're going to check on the others Rotor, we'll be back soon."

Rotor took her with a neutral expression "Alright, were making good progress. If we keep this up we'll be done by nightfall."

"Eleven fifteen p.m. to be exact." Niccole spoke in Rotor's hand.

Sally's and Bunnie's smiles lessened as they nodded and turned to walk out the castle. The line for Nicole's nanites was still pretty long and Sally's face became stern as, she and Bunnie walked across the drawbridge of the castle.

Sally glanced at Bunnie to her left "Alright, now that, that's done Bunnie, how's everything been going? Has everyone moved their possessions yet?"

Bunnie nodded with a serious look "As far as I know, all residents moved thare thangs to tha bunkers yesterday. We haven't moved everythang out of tha HQ yet though."

A group of residents and Royal Military soldiers walked past them as they stepped off the drawbridge and down the incline towards the Knothole "How much did we get? Nicole last told me after we got all the materials we could get from that truck that she passed the nanite threshold. She has about forty five percent of the nanites she needs as of now, and since we've collected materials for a whole day, that being yesterday."

Bunnie responded as she and Sally reached the bottom of the incline "Well afta we started this morning we chopped down a good section on tha west side of the village, we've been working north all morning."

Sally nodded with her stern look as they turned left "Were still going to need more…"

She became silent for a moment as Bunnie, and she walked through a different looking Knothole. Besides the many trees that had been chopped down, many huts were torn apart, disassembled by the residents themselves and fed to Nicole's nanites since their possessions had been moved. Just about any materials that were disposable had been walked up to Castle Acorn and to Nicole. And the skepticism was high amongst other things because no one could see what Nicole was talking about. No one could see her nanites and were skeptical of tiny robots that were supposedly supposed to be building them a new home. But also because the Knothole was on high alert from Eggman. Things had been a bit too quiet for anyone's liking, and everyone had been peeking over their shoulders the last two days…

Bunnie and Sally could hear the sounds of the single chainsaw as they approached the north side of the village. They walked by a stream with tree stubs from previously chopped down trees and shook their heads. The Knothole had been their home for some time, but they knew it was time to go…

Sally glanced at Bunnie with a stern look then they both looked ahead as they could see the guys, Amy, Tails, Sonic, and Antoine, many residents, Royal Military soldiers, and a tree falling "Have all our resources been stored? Our remaining crops picked?"

Bunnie held her determined face as they approached everyone working "Yep. All in tha bunkers. If we can get New Mobotropolis built before anythang happens all thet stuff will be covered righ?"

Sally nodded, and they stopped not far from everyone cutting another tree into pieces "Yeah, Nicole said it would cover our existing crops too." she crossed her arms and spoke with caution in her tone "It's a good precautionary measure to move our stuff since everyone is relocating anyway. Hopefully before anything does happen..."

And Bunnie could hear the caution in her tone as they watched everyone work. Because they all knew it was not if, but when. Then Bunnie glanced at Sally with her determined face "Did yiah move yeur stuff?"

Sally continued to stare ahead "Yeah..." she paused and Bunnie continued to look at her "It's been so hectic these last two days I haven't even had time to stop and think…."

"…" Bunnie remained silent as she stared at her, and she continued "Nicole told us we've only collected forty tons of materials. She says we have enough around us, but I just hope we can finish this today…I'm tired of not having any time to ourselves…"

Bunnie then looked straight ahead as everyone began using the chainsaw to cut down another tree "Auhum tired of running too…"

And then Sally glanced at Bunnie as Bunnie stared ahead "If we pull through this I hope we all have some time for ourselves for once…it's been a long time since…"

And Bunnie's pulse raced as she stared ahead not wanting to look Sally in the eyes. She could feel her stern eyes on her and almost feel she was holding back on saying something. Sally continued to stare at her, and Bunnie could feel herself start to sweat not only because it was hot. But she knew once Sally looked into her eyes a few days ago she saw something…she saw her feelings written all over her…exposed…

And Sally knowing her so well, she knew she wasn't going to shake her off so easy. Sally knew something, and Bunnie had a bad feeling she knew…especially after they spoke with each other the previous morning about her family and her past….

Bunnie held her determined expression on her face as she stared ahead "Auhum looking forward to it…"

And Sally continued to stare at her for a few moments longer before she finally looked away and stared ahead. Sally uncrossed her arms "I suppose we should get the patrols ready early today and let everyone know the updated evac rules. There's no telling when they're coming now."

"We need to move our stuff from tha HQ too." Bunnie said glancing at Sally finally.

Sally blinked her eyes "I keep forgetting about that. Let's go get them and do that real quick."

Bunnie nodded silently and with her serious expression. Then they both walked forwards to gather the guys working with everyone. But Bunnie's serious demeanor was more of a cover to hide herself, and her troublesome feelings that she was sure everyone had seen a little of by now…

Like everyone else…she was a reflection of her thoughts…and she couldn't hide herself …as what she felt was expressed through her body…

For the time being, though she'd been keeping it under wraps. And she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do about how she felt. She had already decided it was for the best that what she felt remained unrequited, and hope maybe the feelings would pass even though she still felt quite strongly towards Sonic still.

And with other issues keeping everyone busy, it was still hard to formulate what to do clearly. So if or until they got a new home, her feelings about Sonic were put on hold. Everyone's personal issues were put on hold, and if they did make it either way, it seemed she still had problems to face…

* * *

><p>Some hours later around noon…<p>

The Freedom Fighters had gone to their HQ and began gathering the few remaining possessions inside. They left the residents and the Military soldiers to continue on before they returned. They had to rip out all the wiring in the HQ for spare parts, and now there was no power in the HQ. Only the daylight provided them sight as they cleaned out their HQ. They had already moved a lot the previous day but there were still many things left in their lab.

With boxes in hand, they gathered the few remaining possessions in their HQ. However, there were also unexpressed words between them all that gave rise to familiar tensions. And this time Bunnie was no good at hiding how she felt…

Sonic, Sally, Tails, and Amy were on one side of the lab and Bunnie and Antoine on the other with two boxes in front of one another on a counter. They were grabbing various things from the cabinets on the walls and she, and Antoine were actually speaking with one another. The first time they spoke normally since they broke up, and for the best Bunnie thought no less. She saw she still held no feelings for him since they split…certainly nothing like the fire that had been lit beneath her the last few days with Sonic…

And she wasn't sure, but she could swear Antoine was acting more arrogant than he did before. It looked like all that Military training had boosted his confidence, and it definitely had went to his head. And she found his growing pompous arrogance was something else she disliked about him. But she remained indifferent to him seeing they still disagreed on everything, and since they weren't involved anymore they were neutral to one another.

And Bunnie held a curious face as she reached up and pulled out a small square whet stone out of the cabinet; she glanced over at him "Is this yeurs?"

Antoine looked curious as well as she handed it to him. He inspected it for a moment but tossed it into his box with a smile "I'm not sure. I don't think I would have use of it any longer though. The Royal Military has better facilities to enhance my cutlass."

Bunnie then frowned slightly "Hopefully if all this fighten ends we won't need all these weapons no more."

Antoine smirked at her "War never changes. If history is correct like the leaders of the Royal Military, there will always be a conflict somewhere and honor to gain."

And Bunnie grunted in a low tone with upset and disapproval on her face. Antoine continued to smirk at her because she knew the influence he sought was just another form of attention seeking. His ego had grown even bigger in their time apart.

Even though she was guilty of attention seeking herself in their relationship too. Still, the superiority and validation he seeked through attention was a huge turn off to her. And it cemented even more why they broke it off because they wanted radically different things out of life.

Bunnie's brows stayed narrowed with a disapproving look as she silently turned away from him and began grabbing more stuff out of the cabinets. Antoine smirked doing the same, and it fell silent between them for a moment again. She wanted a simpler, more peaceful life, while he still wanted a very ostentatious and Military life. They had definitely changed and outgrown one another, and she was glad it was over…

But Bunnie and Antoine were broken out of their thoughts as they turned to see Sally and Sonic in dissent. Sonic just picked up his box and turned away from a frowning Sally with a frown of his own "I said I'm fine…"

"Sonic…" Sally huffed out.

Amy and Tails held upset expressions as they looked at Sonic, and it was clear to everyone what was happening again. Sonic and any attempt to cheer him up, and break him from his depression was met with strong resistance. And by this point, they weren't sure what to do to get the old Sonic back…

But in the midst of the tension, Antoine surprised everyone by placing his box down, and walking over to Sonic. He still held his smug expression and Sonic raised an eyebrow at him as he spoke "Sonic, no honor is gained through standing idly by. You must pull your bootstraps up and regain your inherit exuberance. Being so down is not helping anyone."

And Sonic's lips pinched together as he narrowed his eyes annoyingly at him. Antoine held his smug expression, and everyone could see Antoine's arrogance grow lately, but they just now saw he had become really bold in such a volatile moment.

It was quiet as Bunnie, Amy, Tails, and Sally held frowns but blinked their eyes in slight surprise. Because like everyone before him, they understood the good intent behind the words to cheer Sonic up, but his words still were insensitive in a way. And instead of saying anything Sonic just glared at him.

And everyone was frozen in the stare down; Antoine's smug look was wiped off his face as well. His brows knotted together into a serious yet worried expression as it looked like he might have gotten under Sonic's skin this time.

But Sonic spoke in a sharp tone looking him in the eyes "You don't know anyone's situation…"

The confident Antoine began to shrink, and he cleared his throat "Ah-hum…" he paused blinking his eyes "It was zis friendly gesture…"

Amy scoffed sarcastically with her frown behind Sally, and everyone didn't buy it.

"Yiah knew thet weren't a friendly thang to say to Son-…ah mean a friend…" Bunnie quickly tried to correct her words, but she felt a flash sweat come over her.

She kept her upset expression with her brows narrowed on her face. Because even though it was obvious what Antoine said was crass as usual, when everyone glanced at her, they looked confused. As the tone, sentiment of her voice, and statement was so unlike her. Even Sonic looked surprised but Antoine more so as he glanced back at her, and he donned suspicious eyes.

And she could see his jealousy at what she knew, he and the others suddenly might be thinking. As her communional behavior as of late with Sonic gave way to her feelings that she was trying to hide. But she saw she wasn't really doing a good job at it. Because just a few weeks ago it was the exact opposite as, she and Sonic were in turmoil. And Sally across the room made her heart pound in fear because she knew Sally was sniffing around, watching her, and getting closer. Just the upset look on her face right now made Bunnie terrified that she might have already figured it out…

And Antoine kept his narrowed eyes on Bunnie "And do you have any suggestions?"

"How's bout we do this later, we need to keep moven…" Bunnie stated unevenly.

Even her deflection was obvious, but Sally stepped in with an upset face because they were wasting time "Bunnie's right. We need to get this stuff moved now. We can discuss things later if we get out of this alive."

Sonic kept his frown as he looked strangely at Bunnie, but nodded at Antoine and left the lab with his box. And Bunnie and the others watched him go silently, though Bunnie sort of wished he hadn't. Because the guys began giving her strange looks as well. Especially Sally. Antoine now looked to suspect something of her now, and Tails and Amy did too. So they collected the remaining things from around the lab before they headed over to Castle Acorn to store it.

It was mostly silent this time though and the silence was deafening for Bunnie. Because she knew Antoine quite well, and for him to pretend what he was saying wasn't insensitive compelled her to call him on it. He knew what he was saying. Though her feelings might have got into the mix and revealed some other things….

And now it seemed the others were starting to see something different about her as well. Which made her feel more anxiety, though the distractions around them worked in her favor. And she was glad of all the chaos going on around them at the moment. Because if not, everyone would have seen clearly long before now the feelings she obviously was harboring towards Sonic….

* * *

><p>A little later…<p>

It didn't take too long for the Freedom Fighters to clear out their HQ, and the sun was still high in the sky as they returned to Castle Acorn. Although the little spat that had happened left everyone feeling a little off balance with all that was going on, and with what was unsaid between them concerning Sonic. Along with Bunnie's odd behavior and their enemies bearing down on them, they had little to no time to sort out their own personal problems.

So as they walked across the lowered drawbridge of the castle with residents and soldiers, they carried their boxes with fake pleasantries. Responding as they needed to rather than how they wanted to. They wanted a moment of peace to sort out all the turmoil in their friendships; but they knew they had no such luxury of time at the moment. Because if Nicole's readouts were right, Eggman and the Dark Legion were getting ready for another attack, and they didn't have time to sort out their issues at home…

So the Freedom Fighters walked into the castle with their boxes and many residents and soldiers carrying large chunks of chopped wood. There was still a line as they gave their wood to Nicole and Rotor, and her nanites consumed the wood into nanites. The King, Queen, and many other Military officials were present again too conversing not far from Rotor and Nicole. Things were still pretty busy in the main hall of the castle, and the Freedom Fighters approached Rotor and Nicole.

Bunnie, Sonic, Sally, Antoine, Amy, and Tails approached Rotor with upset faces, and Rotor looked confused by their demeanors. He lowered Nicole in his hand and raised an eyebrow "Is everything ok?"

"It's just a bit stressful today…" Sally uttered unevenly.

And from the looks of it to Rotor, he figured it was something group internal, so he dropped it and his brows knotted into determination and spoke in a serious tone "So what's been going on? How's the evacuation going?"

"We just moved the last of our stuff from the HQ." Sonic rattled his box.

"Everything's been moved as well. All the residents are ready to move if something happens. All of our resources have been stored, and we just have a few more things we can salvage before all evacuation procedures are cleared." Sally stated in a serious tone.

Rotor nodded and responded "Sounds good. Nicole is making good progress too."

And he lifted Nicole as she spoke aloud "I have surpassed the nanite threshold. The nanites can now instantaneously transmute. Observe."

And the Freedom Fighters watched as a soldier threw her chopped wood into Nicole's nanite area. The second the wood was thrown in it all but seemed to disappear, as if it vanished into thin air. And they all briefly lost their upset expressions looking quite impressed instead.

Sally smirked looking back at Rotor and Nicole "How many nanites do we have now?"

"I have over fifty percent of the required nanites to build New Mobotropolis." the residents and soldiers overheard as she spoke in her usual neutral tone as they tossed wood "At this stage, I have enough to move the nanites through the environment around me. But since there have been no anomalies, for the moment it is advisable to not move them yet. As more are still required, and it would slow down their production capabilities."

Antoine spoke in a happy tone "By this rate, we really will be done by nightfall."

And the Freedom Fighters all nodded silently in agreement as Nicole spoke again "Yes Antoine. It is understood the residents of the village may be tired after working for such extended periods of time. So once I have reached the required amount of nanites, I will mov-…"

BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

The floor beneath everyone's feet vibrated from what sounded like a nearby explosion. And with Nicole getting cut short as she did everyone in the immediate vicinity looked around at each other with wide eyes. Unfortunately, that sound was very familiar and they knew what it was…

The Freedom Fighters dropped their boxes and everyone in the area quickly moved out onto the drawbridge "What was that?" a terrified sounding resident said aloud.

But with the Freedom Fighters in front, their eyes caught sight of a large fire on the east side of the village. And they faintly heard the cries of residents as another explosion went off…

BOOOOM!

There was a white flash and even more trees fell to the ground and caught on fire. And just down the incline from Castle Acorn residents could be seen running away from Swatbots and Legionnaires. Royal Military soldiers were fighting them, but they surely needed help.

But something else bigger than the latest oncoming attack took everyone by surprise. A low resounding thump could be heard in the distance, but it was getting closer. Until eventually something could vaguely be seen straight ahead in the north side of the village. The trees in the northern area of the village were shaking and looked to be falling over until a large section of trees were suddenly ripped to shreds. The trees were actually flung into the air, and everyone's jaws dropped wondering what had the kind of brute force to do that.

Their questions were answered moments later when the latest of Eggman's robots came into view. It swiped at nearby trees knocking them down and then activated its boosters. It flew into the air and landed on the cobble stone bridge that led into the north side of the village destroying it.

It then stomped into the village moving right towards their lunch house and destroying it. Its giant mechanical hand took some of the debris and threw it at fleeing residents. And more than they had ever seen, swaths of Swatbots began rushing in from all directions of the forest along with Legionnaires.

Eggman's army of Swatbots had grown to epic proportions, and this looked to be Eggman's final stand to wipe them out for good….

From what everyone could see Eggman's latest robot monstrosity's appearance was similar to his other creations. Red, gray, black and yellow colors were painted onto the robot. But it was slimmer and taller than his past robots. There looked to be mounted missile launchers on his shoulders, it had a checkered ball flail on one arm, and a star painted shield on the other arm. Also there were spikes on its feet, shoulders, and head, and it looked to be difficult to attack even from where they stood.

Eggman then fired some of his missiles in random directions around the Knothole causing random destruction of trees, huts, and whatever else the missiles hit; causing more fires and residents fleeing for their lives.

The Freedom Fighters gritted their teeth, and anger formed on their faces as they glanced behind themselves. Their eyes landed on Queen Alicia and King Maxx's shocked expressions. The Military Generals and soldiers and residents around them looked shocked at the King and Queen too. But the King and Queen looked shocked more so by what had suddenly been put before them. And now their objections about letting Nicole's nanites consume the castle seemed ridiculous.

Sally spoke in an irritated tone "I think I speak for everyone when I say it's about time we use Castle Acorn."

And now that they saw Eggman rampaging through their home Maxx had quickly changed his position blinking his wide eyes "Agreed! So be it! Use the castle!"

The Military Generals and soldiers ran from where they were, some down into the village and some back into the castle. And moments later a loud alarm blared from the castle that reached into the village to warn everyone they were under attack.

The residents on the drawbridge looked around in fear as Amy spoke in a strong tone "You guys get in the castle!"

The fearful residents nodded without a word and ran into the castle. Sonic looked at everyone and they all looked slightly surprised for a moment. Sonic's brows were narrowed in determination…

"I'll hold Eggman off as long as I can." he said in a determined tone.

"We'll be right behind you once we get the residents." Tails nodded at him.

"We can't leave yiah fighting him to long." Bunnie said in an uneasy tone.

"Eggman won't see us coming." Amy said seriously.

Sonic then looked at Rotor and Nicole "Can you build it Nicole?"

Rotor lifted her up as she spoke "It seems we have no other choice but to construct New Mobotropolis now. I will begin construction immediately."

"But you don't have all the nanites you need." Sally said with a frown.

"Castle Acorn will provide enough materials so I can move the nanites further around this environment." Nicole stated.

Everyone looked back to Sonic, and he nodded once more before he quickly took off and ran directly towards Eggman's latest death machine. And Sally yelled to him as he ran "Be careful Sonic!"

They watched him go, and Sally looked to the guys with a stern look; Military soldiers began pouring out the Castle and down the incline into the village "Alright guys you know the drill. Bunnie, Tails, Amy, Antoine, save whoever you can and get them back here. The city is going to be built in this area so everyone can be protected once they're here. Right Nicole?"

Nicole spoke in Rotor's hand with a neutral tone "Yes. All residents must come to Castle Acorn. Once the construction begins they will be safe from harm."

"Right!" they said collectively as Sally spoke again "Rotor and I are going to be here with Nicole. We'll herd everyone you get back here."

And with one final nod Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine began running across and down the incline into the village with the soldiers. They felt they had wasted time speaking less than a minute. And Rotor, Sally, Nicole, and the Queen and King went back into the castle to Nicole's nanites. Life was so unexpected at times, and today they were reminded yet again that when you resisted change you aren't ready to face what was happening now…

* * *

><p>Sonic dashed down towards Eggman through the chaos, fending off Legionnaires and Swatbots and freeing residents and soldiers allowing them to escape. He ran past exploded huts on fire, and holes now torn into the ground all around the village. He could see the army of Swatbots and Legionnaires fighting with their own all around himself, but he kept his attention on Eggman in the middle of the village causing chaos. Eggman noticed him though and quickly lifted a hand of his robot, and it glowed a bright yellow. Then lasers began shooting from his hand tearing up even more ground as Sonic dodged. Eggman lowered his hand though when Sonic was near, and a speaker cut on so he could hear his maniacal laughter.<p>

His robot even lifted its hands as he laughed "Ho ho ho ho!" it lowered its hands and Eggman finally looked down at him "Sonic! Haven't seen you in a few days. I wanted to introduce you to my latest genius creation the Eggbeater! Ho ho ho!"

Sonic growled, gritting his teeth with an angered expression as he observed Eggman's robot. His giant ego and narcissism to monologue like he always did amused him sometimes. As moments like now he was able to take a second and see what he was up against. And Sonic felt dread in his gut seeing the large protruding spikes on the feet, shoulders, and head of this robot. He wasn't going to be easy to attack…

And Eggman then pointed a giant robotic finger at him speaking in an upbeat tone "This is the end for you, you dirty blue ball of fuzz! The Eggbeater is a one of a kind industry killer from the Eggman Empire! Just as the name suggest, it beats things to death! Ho ho ho!"

Sonic planted a foot firmly into the dirt as nearby Swatbots and Legionnaires began to take notice of him. He glanced around himself as Eggman continued; smashing his fist into his robotic hand "But this isn't just any old genius creation. I've studied you for a long time hedgehog, and the data I've collected has finally come into good use…" Eggman's tone shifted into a sinister growl "And this robot is designed to counter all of your abilities Sonic…"

Sonic looked back up at Eggman and his eyes narrowed looking slightly confused as Eggman continued "All of you animals will die today…"

And Sonic glanced around himself once more seeing some Legionnaires and Swatbots close in around him. Then he looked back up at Egggman, and he took a few more seconds to observe the Eggbeater. If what Eggman was saying was true, then he was going to have a bad time today. And if the intelligence they got was accurate Eggman had been building this machine for a long time confirming what he just said was true. So this is what he had been building…

But Sonic then noticed the elongated slim arms and legs of the robot. Yeah, the feet, hands, and everything else was covered in armor, but the arms and legs were slim and were not as protected.

And quickly he drew the common sense conclusion of why Eggman had left those parts exposed. Everything was covered in armor, but if his legs and arms were too he wouldn't be able to move very well. And this obvious design flaw made it clear it was still vulnerable to attack. There is no positive without a negative. So if he wanted to swing the giant checkered ball on his arm, his arm couldn't be slow and covered in armor.

Sonic then sprinted up at Eggman with a determined look "You're still not invincible Eggman! I can still kick your butt!"

Eggman's tone sounded upbeat again into a manic laughter "Maybe hedgehog. I'm not a god, but I'm pretty darn close! Hahaha!"

The Eggbeater then activated its boosters and flew into the air. Sonic looked up with his gritted teeth as the chain from the Eggbeaters checkered ball flail lowered. And it grabbed the chain and began spinning the ball in the air above its head. The Legionnaires and Swatbots began firing their weapons at Sonic as Eggman continued to laugh and swung his ball flail. Eggman then threw it down at Sonic, and he dodged it and the incoming laser fire on himself. The checkered ball flail shook the ground causing dirt and debris to fly everywhere. And the Eggbeater retracted the chain and began swinging the checkered ball flail again in the air as Sonic attacked the Swatbots and Legionnaires below.

Eggman threw his ball flail missing Sonic again as he dashed around him, but this time Eggman landed. As he landed he temporarily lost sight of Sonic as he dashed behind him. Eggman only chuckled though as he quickly turned around and held up the shield attached to his other arm.

And as expected Sonic hit his shield instead. BING! Sonic bounced off the shield flying some feet back and crashed into the dirt. Eggman laughed as he lowered his arm star shield and Sonic growled as he quickly hopped off the ground avoiding laser fire. He ran at fast speeds directly back towards Eggman attempting to fake him out. But even though he was still able to move faster than the Eggbeater, its shield while not that big, was able to block a good portion of the robot wherever it moved.

And as he tried to get underneath for an attack its shield forced him back. BING! Sonic was knocked back into a few Swatbots knocking them off their feet as well. And Sonic got back up dashing to the left as Eggman pulled his ball flail and attempt to hit him. The Eggbeater missed but as Sonic got ready to spin dash into its exposed leg Eggman swatted at him with his shield forcing him back again.

Though Sonic was able to recover momentarily back flipping into the air and landing on his feet. The Eggbeater retracted its chain as Sonic blasted off trying to gain momentum again, but the Eggbeater threw its ball flail at him, narrowly missing him this time and Sonic attempted to attack from underneath again. He curled into a spindash BING! He flew back a few feet again rolling onto the ground as Eggman growled through the speakers of his robot. But again Sonic quickly got up again trying to keep up his momentum. Dashing at full speed towards Eggman, but this time going for his right exposed leg. He curled into a spindash and connected with the slim exposed leg. His attack left a sizeable dent and caused it the take a few steps back; he knew he heard something crunch. And it confirmed he caused some damage as he landed a few feet back.

Eggman grunted in anger as he retracted his ball flail, and as Sonic attempted to attack him again he was hit by a laser from behind. It caused him to wince in pain and distract him momentarily as the Eggbeater turned to face him again. Sonic ignored it trying to attack the leg again but had forgotten about the spikes on the front of the feet of the bot. He dashed at him again and Eggman laughed as he simply placed one of his feet forward. Sonic came to a screeching halt before he came in contact with the spikes and hopped back.

But the Eggbeater threw his ball flail again and this time Sonic was knocked off his feet. Not directly hit but surely close if he hadn't moved faster. Sonic landed on his back and the dirt and debris flew everywhere. Eggman laughed heartily until he noticed Sonic had already gotten up again, moving very fast. But as Sonic readied to attack him again, already in a ball, he remembered the spikes on the Eggbaters head.

And Eggman seemed to notice as the Eggbeater simply lowered its head as Sonic looked to try and attack it. Luckily though Sonic changed trajectory before he left the ground and missed the spikes on its head and shoulders. He completely over shot Eggman and was readying for another attack when the Eggbeater grabbed its chain. It didn't even turn around as it hurled it ball flail directly behind itself. Sonic dodged and was about to attack its back side when the ball flail was pulled again. It almost hit Sonic once more, but he was able to dodge sliding on the ground as it flew over him. And he picked up speed again and curled into a spindash ready to hit his backside BING!

Sonic flew back even further this time and crashed against a tree. He held an angered expression grabbing ahold of his head as he stood this time. More nearby Swatbots began to notice him as he looked at the Eggbeater. He held a deep frown as the Eggbeater's chain retracted again. Eggman began laughing malevolently. It looked like he wasn't joking…

The Eggbeater was able to counter all his attacks. He'd really gone through all the trouble to design a robot that could specifically counter everything he did. It was still vulnerable, but it seemed attacking was very difficult for him. It had good range to keep him away, defenses that kept him from attacking, and overall a design that made sure it could attack him from a distance while not getting to close himself. The robot was good at what it did, and unfortunately Sonic knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped up, and all the Eggbeaters counter attacks got the jump on him and did a real attack that would seriously hurt him. And Sonic stared at the bot as time slowed for a moment.

Eggman would have them cornered today if they didn't have anywhere to run. If not for Nicole they would all be done for today as everything was getting destroyed again just like Mobotropolis. The Knothole was a crater now. Only, Eggman did not know he wasn't trying to beat him, only hold him off until Nicole was finished.

As Sonic lowered his hand from his head, he still felt the momentum to keep fighting. Even after everyone had turned their backs on him, and he sometimes felt like turning away from those who'd done him wrong. He was crucial right now for everyone. He had to hold Eggman off so Nicole could finish what she needed to do even though his chances right now were razor thin…

Because if he interrupted her New Mobotropolis would be lost…

He sometimes didn't feel like getting back up…

But not today…they had come to far…

He just had to keep Eggman busy while the others could do what they needed to. But he did feel nervous at what he faced right now. As the Eggbeater raised its ball flail once again and swung it in the air, he wondered how long he could hold out against it. Then another laser hit Sonic's arm; it stung. And Sonic dashed from where he was grabbing a hold of his arm with anger on his face. He attacked the incoming waves of Swatbots as they continued to pour in from the forest. And the Eggbeater threw its ball flail again. Sonic hoped he could hold out, because his chances were countered to none…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in Robotropolis…<p>

Up in Eggman's personal control tower that loomed over the city, Snively was busy at the computer console in the room. Still looking at over twenty monitors in front of him, he held a grumpy expression as he typed in the consoles keyboard. On all the monitors in front of him were Swatbots that were still in the city, and near the Swatbots were Legionnaires still in the city. The special jamming devices that had been installed into the Swatbots around the city had been improved, and were ready to go. They were only waiting on the command of Eggman.

Snively himself wasn't sure how aware Lien-Da, and her Legionnaires were about what they were planning. Because Eggman had been tinkering with the technology they had built, they were ready to lock them out of all the technology they had built in their time in the city. But also take over the Legionnaires bodies. And once their jamming devices jammed their cybernetics they were going to implant and indoctrinate them just as they did to themselves. And the Eggman Empire would grow so large that no one would be able to stop them.

Everything was going according to plan for the moment, and since their army of Swatbots had grown so large in the last few weeks, they were sure they would have enough to overwhelm all the Legionnaires in the city.

Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he got in contact with Eggman, he just hit enter to send out a signal. He checked the monitors as he waited for Eggman to respond. He'd been monitoring the Legionnaires all day, and if he wasn't mistaken he thought they were acting suspicious. He was startled though as Eggman finally responded to him.

Snively's expression became nervous as he fumbled with the controls, and Eggman answered in an extremely irritated tone; only in audio **"What is it Snively! I am very busy right now!"**

Snively spoke in a stammering tone "Ahhh…excuse me for the interruption, but THE HAMMER is fully charged. It is ready and awaiting your orders sir…"

Eggman grunted as he responded **"Are our guests behaving?" **

"It would seem so sir. The Dark Legion's forces are still funneling resources towards the Knothole. Though there is some suspicious behavior happening around the city sir." Snively said as he busily typed on the computer keyboard.

Eggman growled as he responded **"I know they're up to something, so check the osmosis tanks. If you find anything funny start the Swatbots immediately. I don't care what's going on, if you find any traces of tampering set all Swatbots to attack on sight! I want those animals under control by nightfall! And if something goes wrong contact me!"**

The line immediately went dead and Snively flinched as he continued to type. He typed a few commands and brought up the osmosis tanks on a few of his screens. There were Legionnaires and Swatbots in the area, and he began to check for any tampering on the tanks. While he was doing that he also scanned the city for Lien-Da because all morning she was nowhere to be found. And more sweat slid down Snively's fore head because it made him worried. They had kept a constant watch over her in the passing months she'd been in the city. But today he'd not seen one trace of her and that made Eggman angry to say the least…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at the Legion transportation bay…<p>

It was still midday, and the sun was still high in the sky but even though the attack on the Knothole went well, festering distrust left the Legionnaires on high alert. Lien-Da and many of her Legionnaires, a group of ten, were walking through this Legion area of the city. Past a few Legionnaire buildings, and some transportation vehicles that they used to enter and exit this particular area of the city. But Lien-Da and her Legionnaires had detected something suspicious in the last few days. Eggman's Swatbot army had grown substantially since the city continued to be gradually upgraded. And there were so many Swatbots in the city now they had even spilled over into Legion areas of the city.

Many Legion forces had come from around Mobius to aid in the attack of the Knothole, and a large chunk of Legion forces were currently in the city. Lien-Da and her Legionnaires walked past a few still old and rusty factory buildings as they headed for their next destination. Along with Eggman, she had been quite busy coordinating their latest attack against the Knothole today.

She'd been out of sight most of the day though, in places where Eggman couldn't spy on her in their Legion buildings. Plotting the final stages of her plans to take over Robotropolis and destroy the Knothole.

Because she found out for sure that Eggman had been tampering with their technology these last few days. He was obviously plotting against her as she thought. She wanted to expand the Dark Legion and take Eggman's secrets to his technology, but that was proving to be difficult. And if they couldn't take Robotropolis today they were pulling out…

Lien-Da walked with haste in her step down the metal streets, and her lips were pinched into a frown on her face. She had many things in the works right now, but most importantly the nonintrusive control devices they had been planting around the city were finally all in place. Along with a few more other devices…

And once activated would render all of Eggman's technology useless and Eggman himself would be defenseless. It was no coincidence that so many of her Legionnaires were in the city today…they certainly would be useful dismantling and rewiring Eggman's Swatbots once they gained control over them…

Lien-Da and her Legionnaires rounded a corner and up the stairs of a shiny metallic looking Legion building on the corner of this street. The door sensors beeped and the door slid open as they walked in. Many Legionnaires were gathering all Legion technology in this building and packing it away because they were about to make their moves. Lien-Da walked to the back of the room where a large computer console set, and two Legionnaires were sitting as well.

She placed a hand on the back of a chair, and her brows narrowed into an angered expression "Have any of the safeguards been tripped?"

The Legionnaire on her left shook her head "No Grandmaster. But we are detecting activity from Eggman's control tower."

Lien-Da growled squeezing the back of the chair "Good. That gives us some more time, but if he trips any of our safeguards we'll know if we need to move. Now get the Grandmasters on the line, we need everyone ready to mobilize."

"Yes Grandmaster." the Legionnaire on the right responded.

Lien-Da's hand stayed gripped on the back of the chair with her brows narrowed in anger. They'd spent many months in this horrid city under a soft form of subjugation from that round man. But today was it. They were getting ready for their second attempt to take over Robotropolis with their nonintrusive control devices they had stealthily hidden around the city. And hopefully take Eggman down with it. But they knew Eggman was plotting against them, and they might be in just as many dangers. With whatever he had tampered with in their technology, he obviously had done in his favor. They didn't know what Eggman was up to, but they had a contingency plan if disabling Eggman's technology did not go as planned. For Lien-Da knew the minute she walked into the city the Dark Legion would be in a struggle with Eggman. Either way the fight was an inevitable one between them all today…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole…<p>

All chaos was still breaking lose in the Great Forest as the Knothole's destruction continued. More fires had been set to the surrounding trees and shrubbery and everything around was just about engulfed in flames. Many dead Royal Military soldiers and residents were strewn across the grounds at the feet of Swatbots and Legionnaires. Along with some of the still alive, but captured residents struggling to break free from the Legionnaires fighting Royal Acorn soldiers. It was unsure how many had been lost but for a few Freedom Fighters, they knew that a sizable amount of residents had made it to Castle Acorn safely.

As Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine left Castle Acorn again, running across the lowered drawbridge, and past the many Royal Military soldiers fighting off Swatbots and Legionnaires trying to enter the Castle. Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine could see Swatbots and Legionnaires attacking all sides of the Castle as they ran down towards the incline and back into the village. They hadn't let up their laser fire since they'd shown up. And Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine helped the soldiers on their way down and back into the village.

Antoine went left and helped a few soldiers battle off a Swatbot and a Legionnaire. Tails went right and promptly took out two Legionnaires and a Swatbot. Spin dashing into them knocking all three of them off their feet. Bunnie and Amy went straight taking out over ten Swatbots and six Legionnaires. Bunnie used her strength from her cybernetics to smash the heads and rip through and shred the metal bodies of the robots. Amy attacked the Legionnaires with her hammer sending them flying away and clearing a path for them all. Though more Legionnaires and Swatbots were coming through the forest fires towards the Castle it gave the soldiers a bit of reprieve.

As Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine ran back down the incline, and as the soldiers got ready for another attack, they spotted a few residents running towards them. Along with a few soldiers trying to protect them as they fled from a few Legionnaires firing their jamming devices at them; the residents were partially robotticized. One of the residents was hit with a device and froze up and fell to the ground. One Legionnaire ran up and dragged the resident in the opposite direction, while four more Legionnaires fired their weapons. Three of them fired their lasers while one of them fired their jamming devices at Bunnie. The soldiers and the residents were able to make their way up the incline towards Castle Acorn; the soldiers on the incline escorted them up while protecting them from more forces.

The devices hit Bunnie and made her freeze up, making her stop in her tracks, but soon she was able to move. And as she slowly gained control over herself again Antoine, Amy, and Tails had almost subdued the attacking Legionnaires. As Bunnie threw her jamming devices to the ground, she activated her boosters and flew directly at them. With a flying punch she knocked a Legionnaire clear off their feet. And just behind them five more Swatbots spotted them and tried to gang up on them.

Amy was able to subdue the Legionnaire she was fighting, but Antoine and Tails were having a bit of trouble. Amy spotted the Swatbots behind them and ran past the guys as Bunnie helped out Tails and Antoine. Tails flew into the air and grabbed the Legionnaires weapon away. The Legionnaire reached for their weapon and Tails spin dashed down onto the Legionnaire. Tails hit hard and fast and the Legionnaire stumbled, but they didn't fall. Luckily though Bunnie finished the job with a well-placed kick. The Legionnaire fell and Bunnie turned to Antoine who was dodging the Legionnaires laser fire. Tails went to help Amy, who had already taken down two Swatbots.

With a serious expression, Bunnie ran at the Legionnaire as Antoine hit the Legionnaire with the butt of his sword. It seemed to have hardly any effect. The Legionnaire attacked with their gun, and Antoine blocked with his sword as Bunnie got in close. She did a roundhouse kick, and the Legionnaire went spinning onto the ground. Antoine nodded at her with a serious expression as they watched Amy and Tails bring down the last Swatbot.

The four took a brief moment to glance around the Knothole and all the destruction that had taken place. Everything was on fire and there were no traces of any remaining huts. Just Sonic fighting Eggman, dead bodies of residents, soldiers, Legionnaires, Swatbots scattered across the ground and soldiers rescuing residents and fighting off Legionnaires and Swatbots in the near distance. Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine glanced at each other with frowns because everything they had known for years was destroyed. But they quickly refocused on the situation taking notice of the single Legionnaire that had dragged away the individual resident. The Legionnaire was dragging the resident past a few nearby trees that were on fire. And Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine ran straight after them.

As they ran towards the clearing of trees on fire, they noticed that most of the residents and just most of the Knothole looked deserted. Most likely because they were either dead, captured, or had made it to Castle Acorn. And rescuing the residents was made more difficult by the obvious

implant upgrades the Legionnaires now had. They were almost as tough as Swatbots now. They figured these were the upgrades that they had been talking about in their recent intelligence. The Legionnaires were even more of a threat now that they were stronger. And having to fight two enemies of the same strength was too much.

Soon though Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine finally reached the clearing and made their way past the burning trees. What they saw next shocked them though. Their eyes widened in horror when their vision landed on over thirty residents laid out on the ground around many Legionnaires. They were partially robotticized residents, and they had all been hit with jamming devices. They were rounding them up for legionization…

And all the Legionnaires looked towards them, but they did not move. Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine gritted their teeth in anger wondering why they had not attacked when some movement stirred just out of their sights. And moments later all of the Dark Legions Grandmasters stepped into sight. Drago Wolf, Razorklaw, Beauregard Rabbot, Mordred Hood, and Diesel stepped over the disabled bodies of the residents with sinister smiles. And they didn't say a word as they approached them, only Mordred with a wave of his hand, signaled many of the nearby Legionnaires to obviously capture more residents. They ran past the Freedom Fighters and did not attack.

Some Legionnaires stayed behind and began to approach as well. But from behind Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine a group of six soldiers approached. And when they saw what was going down they joined the Freedom Fighters by their sides. Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine were glad to because they could use the reinforcements.

As the Grandmasters approached Bunnie glanced over at Tails with her upset expression "Be careful knaa sugh. They ain't gonna hold back."

Tails nodded with a serious face "Right!"

Antoine unsheathed his sword and Amy gripped her hammer tighter until they got near enough and everyone suddenly ran forward and attacked. Bunnie attacked Drago, Amy went after Razorklaw, Tails dealt with Mordred, the Royal Military soldiers fought back Beauregard, and two soldiers helped Antoine deal with Diesel and the three Legionnaires.

As per usual Drago swung his metal claws fast and unskillfully at Bunnie, who used her increased mobility to dodge him. He was very close at almost ripping through her jacket a few times as she dodged to the left and right. But she saw an opening and threw her cybernetic foot down onto his foot. She stamped as hard as she could making Drago recoil in pain, and Bunnie growled as she pulled her cybernetic arm back and punched; and she didn't pull her punch this time.

The full strength of her punch made Drago stumble to the side "Ooof!" Drago exclaimed as Bunnie stayed on the offensive; upper cutting him and making him stumble back more.

Meanwhile, Amy held and angered expression as she blocked Razorklaw's metal claws. His arms were proportionally bigger than him, and his claws were sharper than Drago's. Amy jumped back as she blocked another one of his fast attacks and she used her speed to dash back at him and hit him straightforward with her hammer. Razorklaw grunted as he took a step back but his sharp teeth were exposed by the anger on his face, and he swung at Amy.

Amy tried to dodge but he slashed at her right arm, and he cut it Amy kept her angered expression looking at the claw marks on her arm, and the fresh blood starting to rise to the surface then back at Razorklaw. Razorklaw laughed as he charged at her again but Amy ignored her injury and went head-on with him still. Razorklaw swiped upwards, and Amy blocked with her hammer. Amy pulled her hammer back as Razorklaw raised both of his arms into the air and swiped at her. He completely missed though as Amy jumped into the air and brought her hammer down onto his head.

She bonked him good and Razorklaw yelped in pain as Amy landed on the other side of him and pulled her hammer back again. Amy let out a battle cry as she smashed her hammer into his rib cage expelling all the air from his body. Razorklaw went flying into the dirt, and Amy ran over and smashed her hammer into his back while he was on the ground. Razorklaw whimpered as Amy looked over at Bunnie, who just yelped in pain herself. Drago had slashed her cheek, but Bunnie delivered another punch knocking him back once more. Then she grabbed him by his clothing on his chest with her cybernetic arm and lifted him into the air and slammed him into the ground. Drago twitched on the ground, and though he was down it was clear he was still not out.

Neither was Razorklaw. Bunnie touched her cheek with her organic hand and removed it to see she was bleeding as well. But with Drago and Razorklaw temporarily incapacitated they went to help Tails and Antoine. Amy went to help Tails and Bunnie went to help Antoine.

Three of the Royal soldiers were down, and only three remained. And Tails flew above Mordred as he lunged at him extending his neck. Mordred hissed missing Tails as he flew above but with his high agility hopped into the air and snipped at Tails. Tails spiraled to the left narrowly missing again, but he landed quickly and spin dashed into him. Unfortunately, Mordred's high agility allowed him to move in counter with Tails. Tails did connect with his shoulder causing Mordred to stumble. Only Mordred stumbled into Amy's hammer knocking him onto his back. Mordred groaned in pain, but he got up quickly looking enraged at Tails; he saw that Razorklaw and Drago were down.

And he wasn't too happy that he had to face two against one. He glared at Tails now that he was back on his feet "You little brat!"

Mordred lunged at Tails and was fast enough to pin him to the ground. He pinned his arms to the ground and opened his mouth to reveal his venomous fangs. Amy gasped in shock, and Tails looked up at Mordred with his brows narrowed in determination. Amy immediately dashed over to help Tails but Tails pushed up with both of his feet and with a heave he, and Mordred tumbled backwards until they both spun. Mordred looked surprised, but Tails got enough momentum to fling Mordred off himself and into a burning tree.

Tails got up and flew backwards, as Mordred got up he growled patting himself down as Amy charged at him. Amy swung her hammer, but Mordred dodged with his high agility. And he knocked Amy's hammer out of her hands and extended his neck and his fangs to bite at her. Only Mordred felt the wind knocked out of him as Amy's fist connected with his gut. Amy's blow was so great it even dented the metal of Mordred's suit; leaving a concave fist dent as she removed her fist.

Mordred killed over with wide eyes as he hit the ground showing that he was incapacitated as well for the moment. Tails immediately went over to help Antoine and Bunnie, and so did Amy as she picked up her hammer and ran over to help them.

Diesel was still busy tangling with the two Royal soldiers while Antoine, and a Royal soldier dueled with Beauregard. Amy and Tails helped the Royal soldiers with Diesel as Bunnie intervened with her uncle. Beauregard used his organic arm to duel Antoine while at the same time fend off the soldier that was attacking him. But as Beauregard saw Bunnie approach he shoved Antoine back and blocked the soldiers sword.

Then he used his cybernetic arm to swat the soldier away, hitting the soldier very hard and knocking him down. Antoine was already back to attacking him as Beauregard blocked and Bunnie brought her cybernetic arm down on him. He held her back, blocking her and Antoine at the same time, but he was caught off guard. Bunnie was enraged even surprising Antoine as he stopped attacking and watched as Beauregard lifted his sword towards her. But Bunnie grabbed it with her cybernetic arm and bent it and tossed it away. Beauregard held wide eyes as he held up his cybernetic arm to defend, but the rage on Bunnie's face and in her actions overpowered him.

She knocked his cybernetic arm out the way and hit him in the jaw making him recoil backwards. Then she kicked him with her cybernetic leg, and he flew back harshly into a tree. He looked to be temporarily down as well as Diesel as Bunnie glanced behind herself. Then she looked back at her uncle with rage still present on her features. Her nostrils flared, and her eyes were narrowed at her uncle…she obviously still felt righteous rage from his betrayal…

And with all the Legionnaires temporarily down Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine regrouped; the two soldiers still left standing joined them as well. Everyone glanced at one another and their injuries as Bunnie spoke first with anger still on her face "We need to get these people out of here."

"I wonder how long these guys will be down." Tails said with a frown.

Screaming could still be heard around the Knothole, and they immediately judged their decision on this; Amy held onto her arm as she spoke with a frown; her hammer leaned on her on with its head on the ground "This might be the last group we can help. We have to go help Son-"

But Amy was cut off as behind them, they saw something move. And agilely moving across the ground Mordred snuck up on one of the soldiers and bit his leg. The soldier cried out in pain as he fell and Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine immediately went on guard. But they weren't fast enough as Mordred went for his second target…Antoine…

Mordred slithered past Tails, Bunnie, and Amy with a big grin as Antoine lifted his sword. But Antoine was too slow as though he'd pushed him away slightly, he still nicked his leg. Antoine dropped his sword yelling in pain even though Mordred had not fully bit him. Immediately after though he was yanked back by his tail by Amy, and as he looked up all he saw was Bunnie's cybernetic foot hurdling towards his face. Bunnie bunted him a few feet away and this time he did not move as he hit the ground, only a low groan emitted from him as he fully slumped onto the dirt.

Antoine fell to the ground as well grabbing a hold of his leg. Bunnie, Amy, and Tails ran over to his aid, and the lone soldier helped the other soldier that had been bit. Antoine gritted his teeth as everyone bent down to see the damage.

"Move yiah hand…" Bunnie said in a stern tone.

Antoine complied and removed his hand to reveal a little blood but no deep gashes. It seemed Mordred had only scratched his leg "I'll be fine. We need to keep moving."

Antoine shakily but slowly stood with his sword supporting him; Bunnie, Amy, and Tails stood as well. But Tails didn't look convinced "You need medical attention Antoine. I'm pretty sure Mordred might be venomous."

Unfortunately though they didn't have much time to talk as Drago, Razorklaw, and Diesel began to stir. The three pushed themselves from the ground shaking the dizziness from their heads. And Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine got back into their fighting stances. This situation seem to be getting worse and worse. They were running out of time, but they could not get away from the conflict they were currently in. They had to fend off the Dark Legions Grandmasters, but they also had to save the residents that had been incapacitated by the Legions jamming devices. Plus they also had to go help Sonic; he had been left alone to fight Eggman by himself for too long.

And there just wasn't enough time with the Dark Legion and Eggman attacking at the same time. They needed to free these residents and get them to Castle Acorn because by this point, they weren't sure how many residents were left alive. The ones in front of them they at least knew were alive. They just had to get them away from the Grandmasters…and they hoped something was watching their backs because they were completely out of ideas and weren't sure where to turn next…

* * *

><p>Over at Castle Acorn…<p>

The Royal Military soldiers were starting to get pushed back and overwhelmed by the many forces of the Swatbots and Legionnaires. Most of the Military soldiers were now on the drawbridge attempting to keep them out of the Castle as Nicole worked with her nanites. Inside the Castle was pure chaos as well, with many people running around, many injured, and many cowering in terror.

While they tended to their injured Sally, and Rotor waited impatiently as Nicole moved the nanites around the Castle. The King and Queen stood with Rotor and Sally trying to figure out how long it would take for her to finish. Because Nicole claimed it would not take long once the nanites were in place, but they had not seen any results yet. They were still standing by Nicole's work area as she had supposedly already moved her nanites through the environment around them. And the nanites were supposedly, currently consuming the Castle. Though they could not see it because the nanites were so tiny…

"They're breaking through! When is something supposed to happen?" Maxx asked with a worried expression.

Rotor held Nicole in his hand, and everyone looked down at her as she spoke "My nanites have already consumed the upper parts of the Castle, and are rapidly moving down as I speak. I do not have the required amount of nanites, so I am going to acquire them in another fashion."

"Is it instantaneous yet?" Sally asked with a curious expression.

And Nicole responded promptly "Yes. I have long since passed the nanite threshold, and the nanites are now rapidly reproducing with the materials from Castle Acorn. This process has taken about twenty minutes, but you will see the results shortly."

The King and Queen still looked skeptical though as they still had not seen the amazing things Nicole had spoken of. Sally and Rotor were looking a bit skeptical too because they started this process a little while ago, and they thought it would be a little faster. And obviously the tension was high because Eggman was literally knocking on their door, and they had nowhere to run.

"We need to hurry up Nicole. Obviously we don't have a lot of time, and I don't know how much longer we can hold out here…" Sally said with worry in her tone.

And Rotor looked to be ready to interject as well, but everyone in the immediate vicinity began to notice something strange above them, and all around them. And for the first-time, everyone saw the strange, out of the ordinary, out of a science fiction book things Nicole always spoke of, but they never saw. Until now…

Everyone looked up at the walls and ceilings around them with their mouths falling open and eyes widening. As the walls and ceilings around them began to seemingly vanish…the stone walls seem to dissolve in front of their eyes…

It was a bewildering sight watching the Castle walls disintegrate in front of them. As many had help build the Castle, and they knew it was made from hard stone. But despite that the rigid stone walls of the Castle, and all of the Castle around them was fastly disappearing…

"What is happening!" King Maxx said with a distressed face.

"My nanites are near completion." Nicole stated in a neutral tone in Rotor's hand.

And as the walls, and everything around them eroded, they were revealed to the outside. And they started to get exposed to the laser fire from all sides around the Castle. Well, what used to be the Castle…

Everyone ducked for cover but Nicole spoke again getting Rotor's, Sally's, and the King and Queen's attention "Initiating…"

Before anyone spoke they noticed a small yellow circular shaped…thing…now suddenly in Nicole's nanite work area…

All four blinked their eyes in confusion, and Sally spoke up "What is that?"

"That is New Mobotropolis." Nicole stated in Rotor's hand.

And just as she said that a transparent field suddenly sprung to life and covered the topside of the small yellow circular…thing…

Then suddenly the small yellow circular thing began to expand exponentially. And Sally, Rotor, the King, and Queen flinched as the small yellow circular thing grew out of Nicole's work area rapidly moving towards them. As it grew though, it grew around them, moving past them and in a matter of seconds covering the entire space where Castle Acorn used to be. Blocking the laser fire and protecting all who had made it to the Castle or what was left of it. As the last parts of the Castle were consumed and disappeared, the thing that grew out of Nicole's work area became more apparent. The yellow thing was a wall and the transparent thing protruding from the wall was a force field. And the force field of the yellow circular walls was encompassing; it was a dome of some sort.

And this transparent force field dome with its yellow walls continued to expand and grow bigger. But not only that, it seemed to shape shift. As it continued to move outward the walls shifted around the residents, the soldiers, and everyone. Shielding them from the outside attacks as it continued to grow. Everyone was confused about what it was but did not care as it seemed to be protecting them.

And as the force field dome continued to grow it consumed the drawbridge and shifted around the soldiers protecting the outside. But as it continued to expand it did not shift around their enemies. Instead, it pushed their enemies back and also as the walls and force field grew bigger, wider, and taller it started to consume nearby trees. And it was growing so fast that it was starting to gain height and tower above the trees. It was getting even bigger than Castle Acorn was. And now that Castle Acorn was gone and consumed all that was left around those currently inside the dome were open plains of grass. Just about everything around them was consumed by Nicole's nanites…

But everyone looked up and around themselves in confusion as what they assumed was New Mobotropolis continued to grow. And the force field dome continued to grow high into the sky, pushing their enemies back and consuming all the trees around them.

And Rotor held Nicole up in his hand with widened eyes "Uhhh…what is happening Nicole?"

Nicole responded distractedly "I am solidifying the nanites…I am moving them around the environment…I shall be done momentarily…"

The King and Queen looked speechless looking around at what was happening while Sally held her own look of surprise. As she wasn't quite sure what was happening either so she put her attention elsewhere while Nicole was working. Her eyes scanned around the now open area where Castle Acorn used to be, taking note of how many were present. Her face became stern when she noticed that though they had a sizable amount of people, it looked like they were still missing a lot.

Then Sally looked up through the transparent force field dome as it continued to expand. Rotor lowered Nicole and did the same. They both saw all the fires still going on outside the dome, and they both looked at one another with serious expressions knowing they were thinking the same thing. Wondering where and how the others were doing, because without them, they would have not gotten this far. And they continued to stare in the direction where the guys might be. Because they still could not see Nicole's nanites and what she was doing, and they weren't even sure what the heck was happening. They'd never seen anything like what Nicole just did…

They just hoped the guys could hold out for a little longer, because they wanted to go out and find them and help them. But they couldn't interrupt Nicole while their new city was…expanding…and they hoped everyone made it back inside in one piece…

* * *

><p>Back in the middle of the Knothole…<p>

Sonic was not faring well against Eggman and the Eggbeater. His every attack was countered by the design of the robot, because it was specifically built with him in mind; down to the radius in which he could get near it to attack. The checkered ball flail let Eggman keep a good distance while still attacking him, and the defenses of the robot made it difficult to attack critical areas. More specifically the spikes and the shield it carried were the two biggest hindrances. He'd almost been hit by the spikes a few times now but his speed gave him versatility, and he was able to adapt. But he still needed more in this fight unfortunately…

BING!

Sonic bounced back again breathing heavily with a frown on his face as he landed on his feet a little ways from the Eggbeater as it lowered its shield. Eggman laughed maniacally as Sonic took a moment to consider his options. He'd destroyed and taken out all of the Swatbots and Legionnaires in the immediate area, and he'd had no hindrances as he fought Eggman for a good period of time. Though there were still many Swatbots and Legionnaires in view, they had not interrupted their fight again. They were still attacking residents and capturing them and Sonic growled because there was nothing he could do to save them. Also save himself as the Eggbeaters chain retracted again…

He'd taken a few nasty hits, and he didn't know if he could do it longer than he already had…

On the plus side he had attacked Eggman's vulnerable arms and legs a few times, and did some damage. But it was not enough as Eggman seemed to have plenty more to dish out before his robot gave way…

The Eggbeater grunted as it threw its checkered ball flail at him again. And Sonic dodged running at the Eggbeater. Eggman attempted to pull the ball flail back and catch him, but it tore through the ground and missed him. The Eggbeater then kicked at him with its protruding spikes from his feet, but Sonic moved around that as well. Eggman then held his star shield up readying to block Sonic again, but Sonic ran past him instead. The Eggbeater lowered its shield turning fully around watching as Sonic ran at fast speeds into the forest.

The Eggbeater scratched its metal head, and inside Eggman wondered what he was up to. That was until a minute later after searching around in what direction he had ran did Eggman get caught off-guard. On the screens in front of Eggman a reticle locked onto Sonic but had trouble keeping track of him as he barreled towards him. Even Eggman looked a little surprised at how fast Sonic was moving. If he was reading the readouts right…he was moving at speeds six hundred miles and up…

Eggman hardly had time to react as he held up his shield. He did though and blocked Sonic once more BING! There was a crushing noise, the Eggbeaters arm took some damage from the pressure of the attack and sparks flew from the joints of the arm. Moving at such speeds Sonic was hurdled violently backwards and Eggman was knocked off his feet and onto his back. Sonic and the Eggbeater got back up at the same time but Sonic held his head feeling dizzy from the attack. And the Eggbeater took a look at its shield; the shield had a deep concave dent in it but had not been broken. And Eggman laughed slightly, though his shield arm had taken some damage and its movement had been limited now, the sight of Sonic holding his head across the way gave him hope that this was the end for him.

The Eggbeater started walking towards Sonic again and Sonic himself stumbled on his feet. He held a frown, and his vision was blurry as he tried to regain himself. He looked quite banged up himself; he'd taken plenty of hits. He had bruises on his face, and his fur was all ruffled up. He let go of his head quickly shaking it as the Eggbeater approached. He was still dizzy as he held his fist up ready for another attack, but he felt some unrest about that last attack. It had done something, but it showed that the Eggbeater really was designed to counter him, and that wasn't good. And Sonic took a few steps back, still stumbling a bit, with anger on his face as the Eggbeater towered over him swinging its ball flail in the air. He wouldn't last forever…

* * *

><p>Back in Robotropolis…<p>

Lien-Da and many of her Legionnaires withdrew to a special Legionnaire building near one of the outskirts of the city. This shiny metallic Legionnaire building was a tad bigger than its counterparts around the city. Instead of one floor, it had two floors and inside were laden with computers on each floor. There were also satellites on top of this building. It's where the Dark Legion did most of its communication in and out of the city. And right now Lien-Da was communicating with all of her branches around the world. But most of all checking on their safeguards before they began their plans…

Lien-Da was on the second floor with a headset on her head as she screamed orders to her Legionnaires across the world. She paced back and forth with her brows knotted in anger near her Legionnaires working on a computer console. There was another large computer console in this room, with a large screen that four Legionnaires sat in front of typing busily. The many Legionnaires in this white sterile looking room tended to all the computer servers. Making sure their strategic coordination was in order for all Legionnaires.

And it almost seemed for the time being that they had everything in order to take over Robotropolis and overthrow Eggman. But life was uncertain and things did not go according to plan…

"Bring back all that you've captured alive for immediate legionization! I want their population crippled once and for all so they can no longer oppose us! I-" but Lien-Da was cut off from her rant as one of her Legionnaires on the nearby computer console turned around in their seat.

Lien-Da held a vindictive expression as she looked towards her Legionnaire as the Legionnaire spoke "Grandmaster! We just detected a trip in our safeguards! Something is attempting to modify our networks!"

The anger stayed on Lien-Da's face, and she spoke into her headset first with a growl "I'll call you back…" then she spoke angrily at the Legionnaire "I knew it! I knew Eggman was trying to stab me in the back! Connect me to the administrative master line! It is time to start the Dark Legions hostile takeover of Robotropolis! Initiate the control devices and the shutdown of Eggman's networks!"

"Yes Grandmaster!" the Legionnaire turned around in her seat and first connected Lien-Da to the master line; which was the line that connected her to all Legionnaires around Mobius. And in a few moments, through their implants, every current active Legionnaire could hear Lien-Da's voice.

As the Legionnaires on the computer console began initiating their part in the nonintrusive control devices, Lien-Da began dictating to every Legionnaire under her control, even the ones in this room could hear her voice.

Lien-Da spoke in an irritated tone "Attention all engineers! As suspected, our ally is attempting to overthrow the Dark Legion. Our safeguards have been tripped so it is now time to attack! All available engineers begin your assault! All other available forces be prepared for my commands. Once your brethren begin their assault, we will need support. I will keep you up-to-date once Eggman's networks are under our control. And you at the Knothole, continue your assault. Unless we have to pull out we are moving forward!"

And her Legionnaires collectively responded into her headset **"Yes Grandmaster!"**

And Lien-Da placed her arms behind her back, and her eyes remained narrowed into an upset expression. Her Legionnaires busily moved around her as she turned to look at the big computer screen. It was a light blue and wiring diagrams appeared on the screen showing the work of their nonintrusive control devices around the city. And some of the boxes and wires on the screen began to blink red. Lien-Da's narrowed eyes stayed focused on the screen, and her pulse raced…if need be they had a way to pull out if things went wrong…

* * *

><p>Back up in Eggman's control tower…<p>

Snively just detected interference in their networks and immediately contacted Eggman. He continued to busily type away monitoring Legion activity around the city as his call with Eggman connected. His brows knotted into an upset expression as he looked up at all the computer monitors. The Swatbots on the screens were starting to target Legionnaires in their sights. And Snively just typed in a few commands for the Swatbots to attack…

And just as he did that Eggman angrily responded to his call **"You couldn't have called at a worse time Snively! What is it now?"**

Snively looked back down at his keyboard as he typed ignoring Eggman's usual unpleasantness "Sir. I have detected a breach at our osmosis tanks. It seems the Dark Legion has been tampering with our networks."

And the audio of Eggman's voice dripped with accusation** "I knew it! I knew it wasn't just the Knothole!"** Snively could hear Eggman grunt in anger as he responded **"Grrrh! Are all my modifications intact?"**

"Yes Sir. All of your modifications to Robotropolis technology and Legion technology built into the city is fully functional." Snively said distractedly as he typed.

Eggman then spoke in a furious tone** "Then lock them out of their technology, and all technology around the city! Set all Swatbots to attack anything they see! I won't have any insurrections while I'm destroying the main obstacle to the Eggman Empire!"**

"Yes Sir." Snively said as he initiated the Swatbots attack on the Legion.

But Eggman spoke again raising his voice **"And keep me up-to-date! I only want to hear my foot smashing down on the Dark Legion! Understand!"**

Snively sweated and responded in a nervous tone as he typed "Yes Sir…"

Snively could hear Eggman growl as the line went dead, and he held his upset expression as he initiated the kill orders for all the Swatbots in the city. And on the screens above Snively as he typed Swatbots began firing the special jamming devices that Eggman had devised. Some Legionnaires were hit by them, and they fell to the ground as their cybernetics became jammed and became immobile. But unbeknownst to Eggman and Snively, the Dark Legion had initiated their attack as well. And on the same screens above Snively Legionnaires were firing their weapons at Swatbots and destroying them. With weapons specially designed to disable machinery, electrical beams shot from many of the Legionnaires weapons on the screens.

Unknown Legionnaire technology was fighting back against Eggman's Army of Swatbots as the Legion began to get locked out of their systems. But at the same time so was Snively as he began to notice he had trouble accessing his own networks. But one thing was for sure…the tables had flipped for everyone now that the Dark Legion had turned on Eggman and vice versa…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole…<p>

Everything was still on fire and straggling residents, and soldiers hurried to where Castle Acorn was…or used to be…

Because as the residents that had not been captured or killed saw the ever expanding dome that was growing from where the Castle used to be. Their fear increased. And to top it off the Legionnaires and Swatbots started to fight each other. Though it gave them a bit of relief and a chance to run, they were even more concerned about the strange dome continually growing in size towards them. It consumed the trees as it grew, and it even consumed some Swatbots. It did not consume the Legionnaires, only push them back. And the dome was getting so big it was towering high into the air now. They didn't know what the strange dome with the yellow walls, and the transparent upper half was. But their confusion and fear was understandable as Castle Acorn was to be their sanctuary. But their place to run seemed to be gone in place of an unknown giant expanding dome headed in their direction.

But for many, they were still being chased and running from their pursuers, and since they had nowhere else to run they ran towards the dome. And to their surprise as the dome consumed all the nearby trees, the yellow walls of the dome shifted around them and continued to expand. The many residents looked on in shock as the dome continued to expand past them, and they were now inside it. Safe from their pursuers and everyone now inside the dome saw others nearby as it expanded around them.

And now New Mobotropolis was starting to become noticeable as it grew past and taller than the trees of the Great Forest. Growing bigger as it rapidly continued to expand into the surrounding forest. Everyone took notice of this and the residents that were left ran towards the dome, and the Swatbots and Legionnaires followed. But as this was happening the sudden turn on one another, as the Legion and Eggman began to fight relieved some pressure for some Freedom Fighters.

Because while Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine were fighting Lien-Da's Grandmasters their fight had a sudden shift in their favor. Because while they were fighting swarms of Eggman's Swatbots came into their fight and not only attack them but attacked the Legionnaires. And the Legionnaires fought them back giving them a bit of relief in this onslaught.

And Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine took great advantage of this. The area where they fought still had a few Legionnaires and Swatbots fighting with one another and the Grandmasters and themselves. But Bunnie was just finishing off Drago for good. Drago slashed at two Swatbots as they attacked him from behind hitting him with lasers and jamming devices. The jamming devices slowed him down, but he was able to rip the devices from himself before he froze up. And the Swatbots he attacked were shredded to pieces. But with an angered expression, Bunnie did an uppercut punch as he turned back around to face her. Drago flew into the air and onto his back with a large thud. Bunnie then ran over to him and picked him up off the ground by his throat and held him in the air. Drago's eyes clenched shut, and he grabbed at her arm struggling.

Bunnie gritted her teeth with an angered expression; she had another scratch mark that was bleeding on the side of her neck now from Razorklaw. Her jacket had been slashed a few times again as well, and she felt bruises all over herself and laser burns. As she was sure, everyone else did too.

But Bunnie activated her boosters and flew into the air and back down with Drago slamming him into the ground. Drago howled in pain, but his grip loosened around her arm and fell limp. But as she did that she turned around as a Swatbot fired a jamming device at her. It hit her arm, and she froze up falling to the ground. The Swatbot started to walk towards her, but its head was knocked off by Tails spin dashing into it. The Swatbot fell to its knees, and Tails dodged laser fire from Legionnaires who attacked him and Swatbots.

As the electrical surge ran through Bunnie's body and negated the effects of the jamming device, she got up and observed what was left of their fight. She pulled the jamming device from her arm and threw it to the ground noticing that only a few combatants remained. Eight Swatbots were fighting Mordred, Diesel and her uncle were down for the count on the ground, and a few Legionnaires were fighting a few more Swatbots as Antoine, Amy, and Tails finished off Razorklaw.

Bunnie then took one last glance at Drago, seeing he was still knocked out before she ran over to Mordred. Mordred was having a hard time taking down the Swatbots that were attacking him. Their lasers and jamming devices were doing a good job of slowing him down. But as Bunnie got up behind him, she hit him in the back of his head catching him off guard. The blow from her cybernetic arm was enough to knock the sense out of him; knocking him out cold onto the ground. And the Swatbots turned their weapons on Bunnie, but she made quick work of them. Punching and kicking them with the strength of her cybernetics, tearing holes and just generally smashing the bot's to pieces.

When Bunnie was finished with them, she turned to see Amy finish Razorklaw. Her hammer hit him hard knocking him off his feet and into a burning tree. Razorklaw groaned in pain as he tried to push himself up but fell face forward onto the ground growling at them all before he did. Then taking a few moments of silence Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine looked around the clearing. The two soldiers that had fought with them have fallen fighting…

And they were dead bodies, incapacitated bodies, and scrap metal from the destroyed Swatbots scattered across the grounds. Fortunately, the thirty residents that had been incapacitated by the Legion jamming devices still seemed to be alive on the ground. And at least they had saved them in their fight against the Grandmasters…

Because so many more seemed to perish around them…they at least hoped these residents could make it to the Castle…

Then they broke from their quick somber reflections and Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and Antoine gathered around one another once more. Antoine used his sword as support to stand. His teeth were gritted with an upset expression, and he sweated. Mordred's bite on his leg was still bleeding, and his usual attire had been burned by lasers and had multiple slashes from all the fighting. His lip was also bleeding.

Amy had took one of her hands and placed it on the cut on her arm, which was still bleeding a little. The front of her red dress had been slashed, and multiple laser burns were present all over her and her upset expression. Funnily enough Tails had taken the least damage, only taking some laser burns and some bruises.

And the three noticed making Bunnie smirk a bit "Well anit yiah slippery as a snake."

Tails rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin "I guess I've learned a lot trying to keep up with Sonic."

Though the brief moment of reprieve was washed away as the four noticed a few of their soldiers on the ground squirming. They all looked slightly surprised because they thought everyone was dead…

Then they all donned determined expressions yet again as they knew what needed to be done now. They looked towards the thirty or more so incapacitated residents then glanced towards where the village center of the Knothole used to be. Where Sonic was still fighting Eggman alone…

As they looked back at one another Antoine stood fully up and spoke in an uneven tone "I will get these people to the Castle…"

However, as he said that he winced in pain clenching his eyes shut; it was obvious the venom from Mordred's bite was starting to affect him. And Bunnie looked the most torn as it was known by them all that they had to go help Sonic now. But Antoine was injured, and they needed to save these residents.

Antoine then sheathed his sword and opened his eyes again with a determined expression "Go! I will get them there…"

Bunnie, Tails, and Amy looked skeptically at Antoine as he walked away from them, walking towards an immobilized resident and removing the jamming device on them. The resident sprung to life and pushed themselves up off the ground. Antoine looked back at the guys silently, and they nodded at him. Bunnie, Tails, and Amy hesitantly turned and began running in the opposite direction. Antoine continued to glance back at them, and they did the same before they were out of sight past all the burning trees.

He then turned back to the resident with his serious expression "Let's get moving…"

And the resident nodded as they helped Antoine remove the jamming devices from the thirty plus residents on the ground. And as they helped the residents some of the soldiers stirred from the ground and began helping them as well. The ones that weren't dead anyway…

* * *

><p>And in less than a few minutes time, Antoine and all the residents had their jamming devices removed. And they made their way through the burning forest in the direction where they thought Castle Acorn would be. Though they had a little trouble getting there as they were caught in the crossfire of the Legionnaires and Swatbots. Antoine's teeth were gritted in pain as he limped with a little over thirty residents and five soldiers following him. As even though Swatbots were attacking the Legionnaires, they were also targeting them as they ran. Some were chasing them, and some Legionnaires were firing at the Swatbots and them.<p>

Antoine was leading and everyone was following him, though the pain in his leg had intensified, and he was sweating more. His sword was out and he limped as fast as he could, but as he glanced behind himself two Swatbots had suddenly engaged two soldiers. The two soldiers had saved a few residents as they kept up with the group.

And Antoine pointed his sword at the remaining three soldiers in a determined tone "Keep moving!"

The soldiers complied and kept running with the residents as Antoine turned around. He sprinted at the Swatbots despite the pain in his leg and aggressively swung his sword at the Swatbots. He caught one off-guard slicing through one of their arms and disabling its arm laser. The Swatbot turned his attention towards him and swung at him with its arm. Antoine dodged wincing in pain, but he plunged his sword into its red eyes. And he seemed to do enough damage to destroy the Swatbot as it fell to the ground.

The second Swatbot though knocked the other two soldiers down, then punched Antoine. Antoine held onto his sword though as he hit the ground and the Swatbot fired a laser at him. It hit his chest and stung as a Swatbot tried to step on him. He blocked with his sword as the other two soldiers assisted him. They made quick work of the bot destroying it but a Legionnaire snuck up behind and hit one of the soldiers. The soldier fell, and the other soldier fought with the Legionnaire as Antoine painfully stood to his feet.

He was starting to feel dizzy and all the smoke from the burning trees around them was making it a bit hard to breathe and see. But he rose to his feet and sheathed his sword, then he ran over to the soldier who had been sneak attacked and helped him up. The soldier was out of it, and Antoine grunted in pain as he helped the soldier stand. Antoine could barely helped the soldier walk from his own pain, but he still took one step at a time.

He glanced back at the soldier fighting the Legionnaire in a quivering voice "Come on…"

The soldier heard him and disarmed the Legionnaire and pushed them away. The soldier ran to keep up with them and the soldiers and residents ahead of them continued to run. And as more Legionnaires and Swatbots started to come into view, Antoine felt the situation was hopeless. He knew he couldn't keep running like he was, and that he would keel over any minute. But as it seemed over and Antoine was doubting where they were even running anymore, suddenly everyone in the vicinity saw the expanding dome barreling towards them. And Antoine, the residents and the soldiers looked on in confusion, and they stopped running. Then they all looked fearfully around themselves wondering where to go to escape the unknown object expanding and even consuming the forest trees around them.

The Swatbots and Legionnaires turned their attention away from Antoine and the others and began firing their weapons at the dome. Their weapon fire had no effect though, and the dome even consumed the Swatbots. The Legionnaires were pushed away and Antoine, the soldiers, and the residents turned to run in the opposite direction. But before they could even take a few steps a large burning tree fell over and blocked their path. Antoine himself donned a face of worry looking at the dome coming towards them and at their enemies around them firing and running from the dome.

And he could barely move himself as he tried to hold onto the soldier he was carrying. And Antoine suddenly felt like a failure, even in this time of crisis he also felt jealousy about Sonic and even the others. Because he had no abilities, and right now he couldn't even save himself. And unable to barely move Antoine clinched his eyes shut as the dome expanded towards them all.

Antoine did peek one of his eyes open to see the domes yellow walls instead widen open and move past the residents and soldiers. Antoine then opened his eyes in shock as the dome did the same to him. The walls sort of shape shifted around him and moved past him and kept expanding. He looked on in bewilderment seeing he was and everyone else was now inside the dome. No fires, no trees, and before Antoine passed out he could see not only the residents he helped. But more in the distance coming towards them…it was a good sight to see that many had made it…

But Antoine and the soldier he was holding fell to the ground as he lost consciousness. The nearby residents and soldiers saw this and ran over to him. And Antoine did not know how long he was out for, but he remembered before he passed out how awesome he thought he was as everyone helped him get medical attention…

* * *

><p>Part 1 of Bandoliers<p> 


	14. Bandoliers Part 2

Part 2 of Bandoliers

* * *

><p>Concurrently back at Robotropolis…<p>

The fighting between the Dark Legion and Eggman only intensified. As Eggman attempted to block the Dark Legion out of the use of their technology, and his Swatbots fought and disabled Legionnaires around the city with their jamming devices. And the Dark Legion fought back as they tried to take over the city, mowing down swaths of Swatbots and disabling them with their own jamming devices. The Dark Legion was also infiltrating buildings and modifying Eggman's technology to be under their control. While their own nonintrusive control devices slowly fought back against Eggman locking them out of the networks in the city.

But the brutal fighting was starting to turn in the favor of the Dark Legion as their control devices began to take effect. And all the technology they had built into the city was starting to branch out. And they began gaining control over Robotropolis and the army of Swatbots. And things looked to be going, and Lien-Da's favor as Snively lost control.

But up in Eggman's control tower that loomed over the city, Snively was already contacting Eggman. Hesitantly…because he knew he was going to be upset…

As the call connected Snively briefly looked back up at the computer monitors in front of him. He held a worried expression seeing many Swatbots getting destroyed and wrecked by the Legionnaires surprise new weaponry. And from the readouts on one monitor, they were losing Swatbots fast. They were also losing control over the city as well…

Snively went back to typing when a minute later Eggman responded to him in his angry tone **"I hope you have good news."**

Snively gulped and responded with a hint of fear in his tone "I'm afraid not Sir…it seems your assumptions that the Dark Legion was busier than expected was true…" Snively wiped his sweating fore head "…the Dark Legion is taking ground…"

Snively quivered as Eggman sneered through his microphone and spoke **"What have they gained control over?"**

Snively looked down at his keyboard as he spoke "Mostly the technology they have built…which is thirty percent of our increases…but they have branched into going after the Swatbot mainframe…"

Eggman responded in a somewhat calm manner though **"I expected that. Though I have more than enough to overwhelm them regardless. Since it seems we can prevent this situation from going more out of control it is time for my secret weapon. Snively…drop THE HAMMER…"**

Snively's eyes widened as he looked up from the keyboard. He paused for a moment but nodded to himself in the empty room stammering as he spoke "...Yes…sir…beginning attuning sequence now…"

And Snively began activating Eggman's secret weapon, which was no less in this very building. Or on it…

* * *

><p>On the very tiptop of Eggman's control tower multiple hatches opened from the roof of the metallic building. And out of the hatch arose a giant radio antenna that protruded straight upwards towards the thick brown smoggy clouds that always hung over the city. And moments later as the radio antenna stood fully erect an electric buzz sounded from it. The antenna began to glow a light blue as it charged up. And down below in the city, the Legionnaires were still winning against Eggman's Army of Swatbots. They were gaining control over the city as they physically hacked Eggman's technology now that they had access to it. They raided buildings and broke into just about anything Eggman had previously declared off-limits.<p>

But as THE HAMMER fully charged it suddenly produced an extremely large humming noise that spread across the city. The hum was low, dense, and its vibration rippled throughout the city. And the Dark Legion began to notice as the vibrations from Eggman's secret device began to jam the Legionnaires cybernetics. Making them immobile, paralyzed, and powerless to stop Eggman's Swatbots as they got the upper hand. The Swatbots around the city fired their jamming devices at the Legionnaires making them completely immobile if they were not already.

And back at the special Legionnaire building everyone inside, especially Lien-Da, wondered how far-reaching Eggman's device was. Because as soon as they detected it, they had been trying to disable it. But as the frequency from Eggman's device activated all the Legionnaires in the city, Lien-Da included, were starting to lose control over themselves. And with them all immobile they weren't able to continue hacking with their control devices. And immediately they began to see a reversal in their progress as Eggman began to regain control over the city again.

Everyone on the second floor of the special Legionnaire building was either now on the floor or slumped onto something. As their cybernetics were now jammed they could not move, and they were vulnerable. One of the Legion though was not down yet. Lien-Da was on her knees, crawling on the floor with her brows knotted in anger, and her teeth gritted. She crawled in the direction of the computer console with her eyes focused on it. Almost scratching on the floor tiles as she tried to hang on and not lose control over her body.

And as she inched towards the computer console, she wondered what that thing was up above on Eggman's control tower. How was it, and how did Eggman find such frequencies? But Lien-Da groaned in pain as she pushed a Legionnaire slumped over onto the computer console out of their chair. And her arms weakly reached up as she slowly typed into the computer her contingency plan. She pressed one key at a time feeling herself growing weaker by the second as she typed in a secret code.

She could only conclude that Eggman had been studying them, and he found something. For all her forces to be nearly wiped out in a matter of minutes was ruinous. Eggman had found a frequency similar to the jamming devices and bypassed their cybernetics. She didn't know how but it was devastating. They couldn't even contact other areas of the Dark Legion for backup. Eggman had pulled a fast one, and if she failed they would be under his control indefinitely. The secrets of the Dark Legions technology would be exposed and stolen. The massive jamming frequency that Eggman had created was unfortunately very effective against them.

They hadn't expected that. And she truly did want to take over Robotropolis, but she was now starting to feel it was more of a hassle than was worth her time because of the psychopath Eggman was. All the blocks that Eggman had put in her way to overthrow him felt like it was a nuisance that was not worth her time any longer now that they'd been blocked yet again. And her backup plan to pull out if things got out of hand was her saving grace as she pressed the enter key. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt her body lockup, gasping as her arms slid away from the keyboard, and she slumped onto the floor unable to move any longer. But on the computer screen a ten second timer had started, and it blinked red…

* * *

><p>And as the timer on the Dark Legions computer screen hit zero, around the city at the newly restored power stations, and inside the Legion machinery around the city, special Dark Legion plastic explosives rigged to blow. But not only in Legion technology, they had also sneakily hidden their plastic explosives in other places around the city in the last few days by the tons. In the analyzed weak spots in buildings, inside Eggman's fuel centers, and just about anywhere that had to do with Robotropolis production.<p>

The explosions were sharp, fast, and high-pitched as the city began to shake with BOOOMS all around. The explosives blew holes through metal, walls, destroyed power generators, electrical lines, and not only caused damage to Eggman's means of production. But the explosives were also causing property damage and bringing Robotropolis's efficiency back down to previous levels.

And up in Eggman's control tower Snively was noticing the difference as he tried to remain in control. Some of the Swatbots on his screens stopped working, and THE HAMMER was losing power by the second. Snively sweated more with his nervous expression knowing how he was going to brunt most of Eggman's wrath when he heard what had happened. And he continued to type furiously as he saw on all the monitors in front of him that the Legionnaires were starting to get up and gain control over their bodies again…

* * *

><p>And so did Lien-Da over at her special Legion building as she blinked her widened eyes on the floor. She felt herself regaining control over her body, and she pushed herself off the floor. So did all the Legionnaires in the room as well as they slowly began to move again. Once on her feet, Lien-Da shook her head clenching her eyes shut before they reopened with rage on her features. Then she spotted her headset on the floor and picked it up and put it back on.<p>

She spoke in a furious tone at her Legionnaires at the computer console "Is that thing still running?"

One Legionnaire nodded as she responded "Yes Grandmaster! Though it is running with limited power now it can still pose a threat."

"Am I still connected to the administrative line?" Lien-Da asked them angrily.

One of the Legionnaires responded a few moments later "Yes Grandmaster!"

And Lien-Da tested it "All available personnel, do you read?"

And they responded in her ear; from many voices and even the people in the room as they heard her **"Yes Grandmaster!"**

And Lien-Da screamed into her microphone "All available personnel, we are pulling out! Leave no evidence!"

**"Yes Grandmaster!"** Lien-Da heard many voices respond to her in her headset.

And all the Legionnaires in this room began shutting down and disabling their servers. And on the computer console's screen, video was brought up of Legionnaires around the city falling back. Video of explosions still going off and the vibrations of the explosions that were still going off could be felt in this building.

"Connect me to the Knothole Grandmasters. I need to hear their progress." Lien-Da said with an angry expression.

"Yes Grandmaster." one of her Legionnaires responded from the seat of the computer console they sat in front of.

And Lien-Da held a sneer of anger as she could still feel some of the effects of Eggman's device; she was sure her Legionnaires could too. And despite her well thought out contingency plan, strategically draining power away from Eggman, that device while they were in the city was a threat to all the Dark Legion. It was something she was certain to not only look into, but something she needed to look into. Because if Eggman had found a vulnerable frequency, they had to counter it quick. She was sure they could but at least for the moment; the Dark Legion was vulnerable. Especially until they were out of Robotropolis…

* * *

><p>Back at the Knothole Eggman just received the terrible news…<p>

Eggman's ball flail chain was retracting yet again as it missed Sonic, but Sonic was on the ground after narrowly dodging the Eggbeaters attacks. The Eggbeater took a few steps back to respond to Snively and Sonic stood from the ground breathing heavily glaring at him. Sonic had taken quite a few hits and Eggman was sure from Sonic's ruffled fur that he might be winning this battle. But Eggman took a moment to respond to Snively's signal.

Typing angrily into the keyboard in front of him, he raised his voice in an upset tone as the line connected "Did it work?"

"…" Snively was silent though and Eggman looked more upset as his brows knotted together even more "What are you doing!"

Snively responded this time only there was a quiver in his voice **"…Sir…the Dark Legion has revolted…and they are destroying the technology they built and ours…"**

Eggman's brows lifted though he still looked angry and spoke in an upset tone "What is the efficiency?"

**"…Since the Dark Legion has been draining power from the city and THE HAMMER, we've dropped back to similar levels of a repeating sixty-two percent Sir…"** Snively said fearfully.

And Eggman could not control his rage as he suddenly slammed his fist onto the console in front of him. He could even hear Snively stammer a bit as he responded yelling at the top of his lungs "Well I don't care! Boost THE HAMMER with all available resources! Do not let them get away! And send all available Swatbots to capture Lien-Da! Everything! Do not let her get away! I've invested too much time into the Dark Legion to let them slip away!"

Snively stammered in response **"…Yes Sir…"**

Eggman slammed his fist onto a button ending the call and quickly typed in a few commands into his computer console to assess the damage of the Eggbeater. And Eggman looked up at the red lines of text in front of him to see that despite being able to counter many of Sonic's attacks, Sonic was still able to damage him. Though the damage was not game breaking it was substantial on the exposed parts of his robot; the arms and legs and even some of the midsection. But his robot was still functional and a smile came over his face again because for the most part, he was still winning against Sonic.

And if he did nothing else today, destroying Sonic would be worth it all because he was the only substantial thing in the way of the Eggman Empire. And if he was out of the way, then there would be truly nothing to stop him. Eggman then turned his speakers back on so Sonic could hear as he laughed.

And he did as he swung his ball flail above his head again "Muwhahahah!"

And Sonic's lips were curled down into a frown as he stared down the Eggbeater. He wasn't tired, but he didn't know if he could take anymore dead on hits like he had. That last swipe from Eggman's shield had hurt, and he wondered what the guys were up to. Because he hoped they were done doing what they were doing because he could sure use some help about now…

And as Eggman attacked again Sonic went on the offensive. But neither Sonic or Eggman noticed while in the midst of their confrontation the three people behind them. And Bunnie, Amy, and Tails looked on in worry as Sonic continued to have trouble with the Eggbeater. And as the Eggbeater swiped Sonic away crashing into the dirt the trio donned upset faces at one another. Then they looked back at the Eggbeater as it walked towards Sonic on the ground…they couldn't stand one moment of sitting back and watching Sonic get hurt…

And they all ran from their spots near the burning trees and went to help Sonic. Bunnie kicked it off with her arm transforming into her Arm Cannon and firing a blast at the mounted missile launchers on the Eggbeater. A loud electrical WHOOSH erupted from her Arm Cannon and connected with the Eggbeater's missile launchers.

Eggman was surprised, even more so when the missile launchers on the Eggbeaters back suddenly exploded. Eggman grunted in anger as he fell forward "Argggh!"

As he pushed himself off the ground, Eggman caught sight of Sonic spin dashing towards him again. He held up his shield and blocked him back away again, and he growled in anger as the unknown attack from behind had caused major damage. But even back up on his feet his right arm, the arm with the ball flail, its exposed parts were hit again from behind from some sort of beam. Eggman growled as the Eggbeater turned around to see Bunnie with her arm cannon still pointed at him.

"You dirty animal!" Eggman yelled angrily as he held up both of his hands.

And Bunnie looked shocked because though she didn't know what it could do, she knew exactly what it was about to do. And her arm transformed back to normal as she activated her force field; a circular light blue transparent field of energy surrounded her.

The blast from the Eggbeaters hand lasers were strong and after a few seconds, it broke through Bunnie's shield. Bunnie was hurled backwards, and she yelled in pain but the Eggbeaters hand lasers were interrupted by Amy. With Sonic's help, she was flung up onto the Eggbeaters head and with a battle cry, she knocked off the spikes on its head. And she even beat the top of its now exposed head causing more damage. She made large dents on the top of the Eggbeaters head, but she was soon swatted away by one of Eggman's hands.

Amy yelped in pain as the Eggbeater put its attention on Sonic and Tails. Throwing the ball flail at them both but there was a noticeable difference. Sonic had a harder time avoiding the Eggbeaters attacks, but Tails didn't. Also Amy and Bunnie didn't either, and they were causing more damage than Sonic had the whole time he had fought them. The Eggbeater was designed to counter Sonic, and it did, but it did not counter Sonic's friends well.

And Eggman was getting more frustrated by the moment by the sudden appearance of Sonic's friends. Because the Eggbeater was not countering them well. Though it did hit all four of them hard when it did, and he just hit Tails really hard with his ball flail knocking him away. And Sonic, Amy, and Bunnie ran over to Tails on the ground while Eggman's ball flail retracted again. Eggman took a moment to assess the damage of the robot once more. But he didn't really need to as from just looking outside the screen in front of him, his robot was starting to spark and lose more power since Sonic's friends showed up.

Sonic and his spin dashes had given him quite the beating as well, as the haul of his robot was irreparably damaged. But Eggman held his malevolent smile as the Eggbeater still maintained over fifty percent power; just enough to smash Sonic and his friends. But as Eggman readied to attack again not only he, but Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, Amy, and even the Legionnaires and Swatbots in the area suddenly became aware of the giant expanding dome that was growing out of the forest.

Everyone stopped to look at it for a moment wondering what it was. Because the dome was growing huge, consuming the forest around it, and it was now starting to tower into the sky as it expanded. Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, and Amy blinked their eyes in surprise but Eggman…even though they could not see his face…new he had become angrier…

"What in the!" the Eggbeater pointed at the dome then he looked at the four in front of him "I don't know what that is, but I'm not going to let it or you escape!"

And without warning Amy scooped Tails up and helped him walk though he looked dizzy; she placed her hammer in the strap on her back. Sonic slowly pulled himself up from the ground, but Bunnie held a determined expression as she pulled him up with her now damaged cybernetic arm. And she flung one of his arms over her neck as she helped him sprint towards the unknown dome that was expanding out of the forest as the Eggbeater had also suddenly gave chase.

And Bunnie didn't notice all the damage Sonic had taken, but she could see as she held him, he had taken quite the beating all alone. He held a frown on his face silently nodding at her as they ran. Because they didn't know what the dome was, but they weren't gonna stick around with Eggman obviously. Because if Sonic had trouble holding him off, they certainly weren't. Even though they would like to try and hold him off longer they knew they couldn't. And if that dome was their plans, they hoped Eggman wouldn't be able to stop Nicole doing whatever she was doing right now. Because the huge dome was certainly Nicole's doing.

Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, and Amy ran towards the ever expanding dome still trying to dodge laser fire from nearby Legionnaires and Swatbots. The Eggbeater fired hand lasers at them and threw his ball flail trying to slow them down. It tore up the ground, but Eggman missed them and fire was still spreading across the grounds. Impeding Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, and Amy's progress as they hopped over and around fallen trees also on fire. The Eggbeater was losing them though and Eggman then activated the boosters of his robot and flew at them. Barreling towards them at fast speeds with Eggman yelling in anger. But Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, and Amy were closer to the dome then Eggman and they all held worried expressions as they approached the dome.

Because they were unsure of what it was and why it was consuming trees and Swatbots around them. But as the yellow walls reached them, it shape shifted around them and kept expanding. Sonic, Bunnie, Tails, and Amy looked bewildered as they stopped running and heard a large crash behind themselves. They all blinked their eyes looking back and up at Eggman's robot pressed against the clear transparent field of energy above them. The four looked around themselves in confusion and totally baffled about what was happening when they saw many people down the way.

There were no fires, no trees, just a bunch of open ground with no Legionnaires or Swatbots. The blue sky was even visible above them, and all seemed calm in this strange dome that had appeared out of nowhere. Then the four turned back around and looked at the Eggbeater as it was pushed away by the dome. They looked on in confusion as Eggman started to beat on the dome and nearby residents, and the residents down the way began to run towards them…

* * *

><p>As the dome continued to expand the Eggbeater continued to be pushed back by it. It tried to push it back, break through it, and Eggman tried with all his might to slow down whatever this was the Freedom Fighters had cooked up. But it was no use as the dome consumed the forest around it and pushed him back. And all around the area the Swatbots and Legionnaires continue to fight but the Legionnaires were starting to pull out. And Eggman noticed this even more so as he realized he was no longer getting any contact from Snively. He had sent out a signal minutes ago but there was no response from Robotropolis…<p>

The dome continued to grow in size and push the Eggbeater back somewhere near where the center of the Knothole used to be. Then it stopped. It continued to grow until the width of the dome was seventy to eighty acres of land like Nicole had said. But the height of the force field of the dome was something she had not mentioned, but it was close to what seemed to be three hundred feet tall or taller.

Eggman then lost it as he began to pound on the dome more violently. He used his hand lasers and blasted at the yellow walls and the force field of the dome, but it had no effect. He swung his ball flail at the dome, but it had no effect. He activated his boosters, flew high, and came crashing down onto the dome, but it had no effect. And it made him even angrier as he could see the people of the Knothole inside the dome looking up at him as he tried to break through.

And everyone who had made it inside the dome were gathered around the Freedom Fighters. Bunnie, Sonic, Nicole, Tails, Sally, Amy, and Rotor; Antoine was lying down. Thousands of residents watched as Eggman attempted to break through. The thuds of the Eggbeater banging on the dome was loud and clear and many were worried that Eggman would be able to break through.

But up front Nicole reassured all that could hear her as Sally asked her with a slightly worried face "Are you sure? How much does this thing hold up?"

And Nicole responded in her usual neutral tone as Sally held her up for everyone to hear "Yes, I can assure you everything is fine. I am sure Eggman's robot cannot break through. His robot is nowhere near the current density the nanites are currently at. As such, Eggman does not have the force to cause any damage to my nanites or New Mobotropolis."

And King Maxx questioned Nicole with a surprised look still on his face "But how is this possible? What is happening?"

"All is not done yet. A new power source will be required to help power the nanites for further expansion. As for the technical aspects of how my nanites are able to achieve such density without visible input to the naked eye. It first begins with the manipulation of the nanostructures of nanomachines and all the parts required for nanites to produce their own source of energy. There are details I cannot provide but the formation structure used to create my nanites are first started by changing the basic RNA structure of intended materials and rearranging the backbone of the RNA into phosphate, sugar and-" but Nicole was cut off by Sonic.

"All right Nicole we get it, you're smart." Sonic said sarcastically with a weak smirk.

And Rotor scratched his head as everyone chuckled "Maybe you could explain it to us another time Nicole. I don't think we will understand anyway."

"Noted. The construction of New Mobotropolis is complete and at this current state, we are safe." Nicole stated as everyone continued to look up at Eggman trying to break in.

And everyone wanted to question her more, but instead looked up at Eggman as he continued to beat on the walls of New Mobotropolis. Everyone wasn't sure whether they should feel relief or sadness at the moment. Because though it looked for the most part, that their troubles might be over the aftermath of it all still loomed over them in their minds. And Eggman beating on the dome of their new home was a constant reminder that they were never truly safe. But at least for now, Eggman looked angry, and they were glad he was upset…

* * *

><p>And outside Eggman continued to beat on the strange dome that had suddenly grown out of the forest. Inside the Eggbeater, Eggman held a furious expression. He had gone below fifty percent power, and he didn't seem to be making any leeway at what he was currently doing. Most of his frustration stemmed from not knowing what or where this dome had suddenly come from. That and why his latest greatest creation as powerful as it was could not seemingly damage the dome. And the Eggbeater jumped back a few feet getting ready to attack again when Eggman suddenly got a signal back from Robotropolis.<p>

Eggman gritted his teeth stopping what he was doing and immediately answered the signal. It was Snively, and he sounded even more nervous than the last time he had spoken to him "Sir…we have taken massive damage…Lien-Da and the Dark Legion are attempting to flee the city…"

And there was a pause as Eggman's face dropped and the anger drained from his face. Because not only had he failed to destroy Sonic yet again, he was now in danger of losing his own base of operations. And it seemed he only had one option left…

He still had power left in the Eggbeater so the most logical option was to go back to Robotropolis and use it. Because he was getting nowhere with this strange dome that had suddenly appeared and was protecting Sonic and his friends. Then anger returned to his face as he moved the Eggbeater back towards the dome and activated his boosters. The Eggbeater flew into the air hovering just high enough so all the residents of the Knothole could see him; and they continued to look up at him.

They could hear Eggman's voice as he yelled at them pointing a robotic finger at them** "This isn't over! The Eggman Empire will become a reality, and you all will be the first under my foot! I know where you live, and I'm coming back! I will destroy all you filthy animals, its just a matter of time!"**

And with that the Eggbeater flew in the opposite direction leaving the bewildered residents of the Knothole looking up in confusion. They waited for a few minutes and when they were sure Eggman was gone, a slow uproarious cheer erupted from them all. And Sonic was the first to fall backwards onto his back on the ground closing his eyes in relief. Bunnie, Tails, and Amy followed suit falling onto the ground in exhaustion. And Bunnie began to laugh then so did the other Freedom Fighters, and the King and Queen, and Royal Military Generals, and everyone. And as fast as it came it was over. As per usual, they had pulled off another one of their plans by the skin of their teeth. And they sometimes wondered if something was watching over them because they honestly did not know how they had survived.

Their home, the Knothole had been destroyed, and it was hard to see when you were in the midst of the chaos. And it was hard to see outside yourself when you're in the middle of the storm. But if nothing else they were all certain that there was some universal force of energy that had swayed in their favor because all things considered, it was not so bad…

* * *

><p>Sometime later…<p>

It was now dark out and the carnage that had happened hours before had finally died down. The residents of the Knothole that had survived were now safe and snuggly inside New Mobotropolis. The fires caused by their enemies in the surroundings of the Great Forest went on for hours before they died out. And black smoke filled the skies for hours, clearly visible outside the transparent force field of New Mobotropolis. And in the hours that passed many had gone outside their new home to gather and bury some of the dead. In that time, Nicole created, and shifted the nanites to make a few entrances and exits from the yellow walls of the city. And they confirmed that their enemies had retreated though everything of the Knothole was a smoldering mess.

Those who hadn't gone outside the city hadn't because they were injured. And many were still near the center of New Mobotropolis, where it had been created, and Castle Acorn had been consumed. They tended to their injured even though they did not have enough medical supplies. Torches were lit to give them a bit of light because there was nothing but open acres of grass and empty land. The only things that had survived were some of their material possessions, but even much of that had been damaged in all the fighting. They were going to take account of all those things in the coming days, but right now they were all tired around twelve p.m. this night.

In the crowds of people, the Freedom Fighters sat in a circle around one another discussing the aftermath of what'd happened and what they were going to do next. Besides Rotor, Sally, and Nicole, all the guys were covered in bandages. Sonic had a cast on his hand for the moment.

They didn't notice until after the fighting, but Bunnie's cybernetics had been badly damaged along with the slashes on her neck and cheek. Her jacket and hat needed to be repaired, and she was feeling physically drained too, so she definitely needed a checkup also. Tails had also taken a nasty hit from Eggman's ball flail. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and around his waist. Amy's arm was wrapped, her waist, and her head. She'd taken an equal amount of damage like Bunnie. And Antoine had woken up with a bandage wrapped around his leg, his arm, and on his fingers. He was still in a decent amount of pain from Mordred's venom.

They had been talking for hours, but their conversations began to die down as one of them yawned. Then they all began to yawn as they had nothing left to say after all the losses they had sustained today. With weak smiles, they glanced at each other glad that they had somehow made it out alive. And all around them the residents seem to be tired too. After they had all eaten a bit of food that hadn't been damaged, they'd sat down on the grass like they were now. Because there was nothing left except the stars above them in the night sky and the extremely dense nanites that covered and protected them with the walls and force field of their new home.

So one of the Royal Military soldiers announced lights out so everyone could get some quiet to go to sleep. And they began putting out the torches they had lit around the area, and everyone began lying down. And soon it became quiet, and they all slept under the stars and moonlight. Seeing as there was nothing left of the Knothole…

And the Freedom Fighters slept near one another. Tails laid near Rotor, and Nicole sat next to Rotor, Antoine and Amy laid near Sally, and Sally laid near Sonic. And Bunnie laid near Sonic on the other end, his back facing her and hers his. And just as Bunnie closed her eyes, she tried to calm her mind down. Because it was still racing and despite Sonic still giving her the butterflies, she also felt a sense of impending dread.

Because now that the worst of it was over, they had time now…and now they had to deal with themselves…

* * *

><p>One week later…<p>

It was still early morning this day for the Kingdom of Acorn in their new home, New Mobotropolis. The force field domed city still set among the ashes of the Knothole, and within the Great Forest. Now protected from all the attacks that usually befell them. There was a lot to adjust to not counting the battle that had taken place just a week ago, such as understanding how the weather was different inside the dome of New Mobotropolis. Because it was a mostly cloudy day with gray and white skies, and a cool breeze running through the air despite it being midsummer still. And because of the force field that covered the city, it was slightly warmer than being outside the dome of the city. Light rains had also happened throughout the morning, and everyone wondered how they were to maintain their crops and just generally the plant life without water. But they found out more, and Nicole was in total control like she said she was. And she could turn off the force field of the city, as she had in the last few days.

Letting the rain pour into the city to feed what was left of their crops and what New Mobotropolis had covered. She had total control over the force field of the city and could turn it on and off at will. And Nicole could, and did do this whenever it rained and there was no threat present. The force field was up right now and there was still much to learn about their new home. The sun did get through the clouds every now and then brightening up this gloomy day though. Because in the last week the thing they had done the most was assess all the damage that had been done. And they were still in the midst of assessing all that had been lost…

To start off, this whole week they had been gathering their dead. As their injuries healed they'd gone out of the city into the surrounding forest and found their fallen brethren. And it was a lot…

There were also fallen Legionnaires, and they took their bodies too. They'd also gathered up all the fallen Swatbots for spare parts. They'd taken all their dead back into the city and buried them near one of the outskirts of New Mobotropolis's dome walls. They were also giving a ceremony for their fallen today no less. Because accounting for their population loss, it seemed the Dark Legion had captured many of them, and the Swatbots had murdered an equal amount. But there were still other things to attend to at the moment.

Fortunately because of all the Swatbot wrecks and other means of materials, they were able to gather, Nicole was able to make a new power supply. Another futuristic machine that did not need a fuel source and wirelessly sent electricity to her nanites all around the city; providing them with more power and more power for Nicole to control them. And she was going to be using the nanites to build the first structure in the city today actually.

They had built a few large structures of open huts similar to the lunch house to keep something over their heads the last few days. But it had been hard without proper housing. The anticipation was high for what Nicole said she would do today, and they pretty much believed her after she built the giant dome that was around the now.

And the Freedom Fighters weren't the only one's surprised, and weren't the only ones who kept their surprise all during the week. Every inhabitant walked around with an air of awe. Their state of shock had not faded even more so because they had been safe for a whole week straight and without worry of attack. They didn't quite believe it but it was quite a stress reliever when their enemies did try to attack them, as they had in the past week.

Eggman had come to the city a few times in his Egg Mobile trying to break into New Mobotropolis with explosives. Though everyone got nervous for a moment, they were reassured when they saw his attempts were futile. He hadn't shown up in the last few days, and everyone had a good idea of why from the intelligence they had gathered during the times they felt it was safe to leave the city.

Once a few of the Freedom Fighters were healed up enough, they made a few recon trips to Robotropolis. And to their surprise, they returned with something better than material things. The information they obtained was much more useful. As it currently stood Robotropolis was no longer standing. It was quite the shocker, because they had come up with quite a few theories as to why. But they settled on theories surrounding recent intelligence they had gathered in the past months. That being the possible backstabbing going on between Eggman and the Dark Legion.

And it seemed that was true now. They did have it in for one another and the destruction of Robotropolis was proof enough of that. They weren't sure of how the city was demolished, but there was no trace of the Dark Legion. There was no trace of even Dark Legion technology in the city, and they assumed the Dark Legion had retreated to their chapters around Mobius. But they knew it wouldn't be the last they heard of them. As for Eggman, despite his recent visits to New Mobotropolis, he and Snively had disappeared as well.

Although they obviously knew it wasn't the end of him either, and they still needed to watch their backs. But for the time being, it was a new beginning and a time for them and even their enemies to recoup. Robotropolis itself had been abandoned, and they wondered what Eggman would attempt next. Because that's where they scavenged everything they could be this week. There were no active Swatbots and they wondered if Eggman had taken any with him. But it was a mystery with anything surrounding Eggman, and they didn't know what he would pull next. But at least this time they had some protection and time to prepare for anything Eggman threw at them with their new home.

So they salvaged from the ruins of Robotropolis during the week, and they gathered many useful things. Building materials, materials for Nicole's nanites, and just anything they could find. It was a great haul, and they still had plenty to get from the city. They just wanted to do it before Eggman or anyone else showed up because it was bound to happen.

They were sure Eggman didn't leave anything important behind. And the toppled city made them come to another conclusion. What ever happened between the Dark Legion and Eggman had crippled Eggman's production power. And seeing the mass destruction, they figured Eggman fled because the losses were too great. That was good for them but now Eggman was in hiding, and they were sure it wouldn't be long before he started attacking New Mobotropolis. But at least they had time to rebuild for now.

But with larger threats out of the way, they finally had time to focus on their own issues. And there was still nothing but a few huts that were in the open plains where New Mobotropolis now set. It didn't look like a city yet, certainly nothing like Mobotropolis or the Knothole. But this early morning many residents were gathering around the center of New Mobotropolis. Nicole was about to do something with her nanites and everyone wanted to see.

And many residents waited around in the area where Castle Acorn used to be looking to the head of the crowds at the Freedom Fighters. Bunnie, Sonic, Amy, Tails, Nicole, Rotor, Antoine, and Sally stood at the forefront with everyone behind them and Nicole's power generator next to them; the power generator was created from scavenged parts from Robotropolis. Nicole had scanned for the appropriate area to create a 'nanite building' as she put it, and they were waiting as she allocated the nanites required.

All of the Freedom Fighters held smirks on their faces, and some of them still wore bandages from their injuries. They hadn't gone on a salvage recon today; instead they'd spent all morning walking around with Nicole. And their excitement was high because they hadn't seen a building in years that was in their own territory. It was enough of a reason for them to not bicker as they waited for Nicole.

Just then, something began to form on the ground in front of them all. And all the chatter began to silence as Nicole spoke in Sally's hand "Initiating…"

And everyone watched in amazement as what they knew to be Castle Acorn was starting to form in front of them. At first as the nanites formed the entirety of what formed into the shape of the previous Castle was gray. But soon it also began to form colors and hold the same light beige, stone gray stones, and other fixings familiar of the Castle. It towered up until it was as big as the previous iteration of Castle Acorn. It cast a shadow over everyone in the last thing to form was the wooden drawbridge as it lowered to the ground in front of them all.

They all still looked amazed at the feats Nicole pulled off; they didn't understand how this was possible, but it was there in front of their faces.

And Nicole spoke breaking the silence as they all looked up at the new Castle Acorn "The power generator needs to be placed inside Castle Acorn to generate electricity for the Castle and the nanites around the city. Would someone mind bringing it in with us?"

Tails and Sonic nodded enthusiastically and took it upon themselves to carry the medium-sized generator with them. But the Freedom Fighters were joined by the King and Queen and King Maxx looked bewildered.

He looked at the Freedom Fighters with wide eyes, and he stuttered as he spoke "This is Castle Acorn…how is this possible?"

Nicole responded to Maxx in Sally's hand "Rotor was in possession of the blueprints for the design of Castle Acorn from the Knothole. I copied them."

And everyone, including the Freedom Fighters hesitantly, and slowly began walking towards the Castle. And as they stepped onto the drawbridge, the wood made from nanites felt solid. Even though they knew it was not exactly real wood is still felt good. And it was darkened inside the Castle but as Tails and Sonic walked into the Castle with Nicole's power generator lights on the ceilings above them flickered on. And everyone oohhed and ahhed because they hadn't seen electricity in a long time, and the previous Castle Acorn only had limited electrical capabilities. Tails and Sonic sat Nicole's power generator down and walked with the rest of the guys and the residents as they explored the remake of Castle Acorn made from nanites, which was pretty much exactly the same.

When you walked in, there were three immediate paths to take. To the left was the multipurpose auditorium, straight ahead led to the throne room and other areas for the Royal Family, and to the right led to the Military HQ of the Kingdom of Acorn. It looked to be a good replica of Castle Acorn and the Freedom Fighters, King and Queen, and Royal Military Generals stood in the center of the entrance as the residents moved around them.

King Maxx scratched his head, and Queen Alicia looked curiously at the Freedom Fighters "Besides the lights, there seems to be no furnishings. I don't suppose your little robots would be able to accommodate that as well?"

And Nicole responded to her in a neutral tone "Yes that is possible. Your recommendations will be considered, because as the city grows it would be beneficial to transition to real materials as it will free up nanite resources. For the time being, if you have design suggestions I'm sure my nanites can accommodate."

And King Maxx smirked rubbing his chin "Well…I wonder if it would be possible to maybe make the Castle bigger. More like the original designs from Mobotropolis so we could accommodate more…"

"Yes." Nicole responded.

Then Queen Alicia smiled "Well, we have much to do then. The first order of business is to have a ceremony for our fallen in the auditorium before we get back to business as usual."

"Indeed. We will begin setting up immediately." Maxx donned a serious look glancing at the Generals who nodded then back at the Freedom Fighters "I intend for the ceremony to be ready after noon. So take care of your personal business while you have the time."

The Freedom Fighters nodded and Alicia donned a serious look as well "Do not be late."

The Freedom Fighters nodded again as the King, Queen, a few Castle personnel that had survived, and the Royal Military Generals walked straight ahead into the Throne Room. The Freedom Fighters looked around at one another and their smiles lessened. Now that the temporary good that had happened, them fending off Eggman, getting a new home, was done they were now faced with each other yet again. And if it was any indication that they had unresolved issues amongst themselves, the way Sonic had been acting these last few days made that crystal clear. The past air was still not cleared…and they weren't sure how to atone…

* * *

><p>A few hours later…<p>

In the Military HQ of Castle Acorn….

In the medical area, in the last few hours the people of New Mobotropolis began moving many of their possessions out of their bunkers. And they began moving them near Castle Acorn. What was saved from the Castle and placed in bunkers was also moved but moved into the Castle preparing for New Mobotropolis's eulogy and ceremony. And Dr. Quack and other medically inclined individuals set up shop in the Military medical area to treat those who were still wounded.

And many people sat in a waiting area in a hallway waiting for Dr. Quack and others to call them. Bunnie was one of them, as she sat in the waiting area waiting on Antoine. She held a stoic expression looking nowhere in particular as she waited on Antoine. She sat on the floor next to other robotticized residents letting the chatter in the hallway drown out in her head. She currently stared at the green tiled nanite floor in front of her wondering what was going to happen next.

She'd had her checkup already, and she'd taken a good amount of damage. The slash on her neck had healed up, but the slash on her cheek still had a bandage. She found out in her checkup that a power battery in her cybernetics was damaged. And she did feel a bit drained during the week, and in effect, the loss of a battery drained power from her body. The battery had been replaced though, and she was feeling better. Dr. Quack assured her and everyone, that even if she lost all her power cells it would not be fatal. And the loss of power was just something her body was adjusting to. She had other damage to her cybernetics as well. Her left arm and legs had been bent and Rotor, and Dr. Quack had to spend some extra time literally hammering to restore her limbs to normal, and repair some damage inside her limbs.

She was back to normal other than some aches and pains, and her jacket and hat still needed repair. It had also been harder for her to maintain her hair. Because of the destruction, many of the ingredients found around what used to be the Knothole were gone. And when she did leave the city with Nicole, she had to scavenge farther away. Though her light orange hair was bouncy and silky at the moment she knew it needed to be washed soon.

The others suffered some bad damage they were still recovering from as well. The slash on Amy's arm was still healing and she wore a neck brace for a few days. Tails had suffered some head trauma, and he still wore bandages around his head occasionally. Antoine had multiple lacerations, and Mordred's bite had left his leg out of commission all week; his leg was still wrapped. Sonic had almost broken his hand; for the time being it was still inflamed. Just about everything on him had been bruised, and he had been taking it slow for a change this week. There were scars, and bleeding discovered all over his body upon inspection. His injuries were healing though. If not for him slowing down Eggman, who knows where they would have been…it was amazing that he could fight Eggman toe to toe like he did…

Needless to say there wasn't enough ointment to go around for everyone's laser burns. But their injuries and many others were recovering despite there being some fatal injuries for some. Then a light sigh escaped Bunnie's lips as she stared at the floor. Their physical injuries might have been healing, but their mental ones still had scars…

Bunnie reached up and scratched her head through her hat thinking of the turmoil still festering between the guys. More so Sonic…

Despite all the praise she'd seen Sonic receive over the week his downer mood remained. As she could see it a bit clearer now…it seemed that Sonic had just lost his trust in everyone…

And that's why he'd been acting like he had since he'd came back from space. She had certainly contributed to it herself as well…

Though she'd tried to build her trust up with him lately, she could see now he was way further gone than she had expected. After the way the residents had treated him, after the way the Freedom Fighters had treated him, his ambling demeanor showed he did not trust them anymore. He continued to push them away despite everyone warming up to him again. He wasn't letting them get to close…

And they even tried to cheer him up with a surprise party under the guise of a celebration of their new home these last few days. But Sonic remained subdued and no one had yet approached him directly about the matter. They knew it was something that needed to be done, but they had all shied away from the task…

Of course, Sally tried, but she'd not gotten anywhere either…

They had tried interventions. They had tried to leave him be. They had tried to nudge him. But Sonic was not letting go of their past treatment of him, and it gripped them all in place. It left them stricken, making it so they all could not move forward. It would take years to rebuild the trust they had lost with him, but they were afraid they had lost something more. The Sonic they used to know was gone…

And even if they rebuilt trust with him the Sonic they used to know would still be gone. The enthusiastic person, the positive individual, the heart of their team stopped beating when they stepped on him. And Bunnie felt guilt for her part in it, and her head lowered as she looked at the floor. Because as of late she had changed as well, and she'd been seeing things differently too. She'd been feeling different…

And her newfound feelings for Sonic only complicated matters. Because beyond their friendship was something else she was just starting to see, and her past actions in their relationship made it hard to swallow how she was feeling now. As she discovered days ago…Sonic had become more darn handsome to her…

He made her gut twist in knots and feel a passion she hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling of…love…

Her friend who had always been there for her; she was just starting to see was the one she wanted. But as it currently stood it felt like something was in the way, and how she felt about Sonic now might have to stay in the dark…

Sally, the others, their past nasty actions towards Sonic, and other things seemed to be obstacles for her. Because if they at least had the old Sonic, she could have her friend back, and his support as her friend. The way he'd always been there for her…

Because she still found it hard to let go of her own past, and her friends even forgave her better than she could herself. She found it hard for herself to just let go…it was the hardest thing for her to do…

And Bunnie wondered with her head down, what was it going to take for Sonic to forgive? To let go? It had to be done so they could all move forward. As she'd been learning herself as she developed and changed in her life. Someone had to talk to him about it, and she was getting her courage up because she knew Sonic well enough to know his stubborn streak. Because something needed to change and Sonic was going to forgive or forget something if she had anything to say about it. So maybe he would change into something else. Just something other than this unhappy individual he had become…

Sonic looked tired…he hadn't gotten any worse but also not any better…

And Bunnie wasn't sure if the others felt it…but it felt like there was a gap between them all now…

And their morale remained broken…

And because of her new feelings, it hurt more to see Sonic in his current state. But it felt like it had reached its breaking point lately. Sonic and his current state had gone on too long, and because of her new found motivation, she felt she might be the one confronting him. And Bunnie's eyes glanced over at her cybernetic arm as her head remained low. She'd asked Nicole in private if she could use nanites to make her normal again…

And Bunnie frowned a bit with her head low, it wasn't her proudest moment, but she was just curious to know. Nicole said she could, but it was a long complicated process, and possibly quite painful. Her insecurities remained. About how she looked…she sometimes still had thoughts creep into her mind about how ugly her cybernetics made her look…and how abnormal she still felt about herself still…

But her insecurities had changed too and her yearning to be normal was offset by Sonic. As she saw all the happiness she thought she would have in the future was happening right now. And if she became normal again it was highly possible she'd still be unhappy. And useless. And her hair was now pretty, but in a way she was still unhappy working with hair. And the quiet life she seeked on a farm might not be so happy if she was alone a lot of the times…

And as she looked at her cybernetic arm, she did at least feel a bit of gratitude within herself for once. Finally seeing all the gifts it granted her, and she never would have seen it if not for Sonic. And all her desperate attempts for looking to be normal again seemed sillier because of Sonic. Because of the passion she now felt and the love she felt…being normal again felt inconsequential compared to being here in the moment…

Being here with him now…

And not focusing all her time and energy into her plans and the future which never went the way she wanted anyway. And into the future where she thought she'd be happy…and she never really was…

Because she began to understand…the future was right now…in this present moment…so she should be happy now…

Bunnie ran her organic hand over her cybernetic arm and lifted her head with a light frown on her face. She wanted another in her life…a relationship…that's what gave her passion…the caring of another…

She like liked Sonic…

And he made her feel…loved…

Bunnie glanced around the hall at all the chattering people hoping that something would be accomplished in all her friends personal relationships today. Because they couldn't go on like this…

And despite surviving their worst attack yet and getting a new home and protection, it was diminished by their already crumbling relationships. Just then the flapping doors to one of the medical rooms opened, but no one came out. Many people, including herself glanced over at the door, but it stayed open and no one came out. So everyone went back to talking and Bunnie's curious expression became stoic again looking nowhere in particular.

As she wasn't sure if it was as great an issue, but in the last week or so it seemed the guys might have been more suspicious about her behavior and her unknown feelings towards Sonic. She'd been making sure she kept a good distance from Sonic, and it might have staved off many suspicions. But there were times where she might not have acted in the most discreet manners, and her feelings might have influenced some of her actions.…

Well maybe 'might' was the wrong word…her feelings did influence her…

Yeah, she might have sat too close or been a little too friendly a few times. But she couldn't help herself. In the guise of their friendship she was able to sneak by. But she caught the suspicious stares of Tails and Antoine a few times. Sonic even looked strangely at her but though Sally was the most suspicious, no one said anything. She hadn't done anything else out of the ordinary so no one knew for sure; which worked in her favor. She at least hoped no one suspected the true level of her feelings or behavior. Because she didn't know what to do about it either…

And her mind began to wonder about the ceremony and how far along it was. Because she was starting to get restless here on the floor waiting for Antoine. Luckily for her Antoine walking on crutches and a few other patients poured out of the room with the open door. And a nurse stepped out and called names as the patient's and Antoine walked down the hallway. Bunnie and one other person stood up from the floor and began walking down the hall and out of the Military HQ medical area into the main area.

Antoine moved at a slower pace on his crutches though with a weak smile on his face as Bunnie walked with him at his side. And Bunnie smiled as they walked into the main area of the Military HQ and out into the entrance area of Castle Acorn. They stopped past the entrance to the Royal Family's area and just a few feet away from the auditorium speaking with one another. They had mostly spoke of the update on his injuries, but the conversation drifted towards non-general things as Bunnie noticed something was bothering Antoine.

The auditorium was loud and noisy, and many people moved past them as they spoke; pouring in and out of the doors of the auditorium. And just a quick glance through the open doors of the auditorium showed that it wouldn't be too long before New Mobotropolis's induction ceremony was ready.

And Bunnie raised an eyebrow curiously at Antoine, placing a hand on her hip "Well thets great news an all, but when is tha venom gonna go away?"

Antoine held a weak smile "Dr. Quack said in a week or so I should be on my feet again. This is going to impede my progress in the service though …"

Antoine briefly glanced away from her looking over into the auditorium. Looking at the Royal Military's soldiers and residents prepare for the ceremony. But Bunnie did not look away, she kept her eyes on him and heard the disappointment in his voice.

And she inquired donning a sympathetic look and letting her hand fall from her side "Is thare somethang wrong?"

And Antoine spoke in a somber voice still looking into the auditorium "Things did not turn out how I planned or how I wanted them to be…"

Bunnie blinked her eyes "What do yiah mean?"

"I have not lived up to my noble lineage…" Antoine continued to stare away from her.

And Bunnie turned to look into the auditorium as he continued "…I am…not within reach of the prestige I seek…"

And Bunnie knew he was still a bit jealous of Sonic, but the arrogance that usually came with such statements in the past seemed to had lessened in his tone, and maybe even in his demeanor. And Bunnie wondered if he had a lesson in modesty in their time apart, because he didn't seem to be riding the high horse he used to.

Antoine turned and looked back at her as he spoke again with his weak smile; Bunnie did the same with her curious face "I will not be in the colorguard anytime soon. My sergeant laughed when I asked him of it…"

Antoine chuckled sheepishly then smiled, and Bunnie did as well as he continued "I did not reach any promotional status in any guardsmen position since I've served. But I have gained connections because of my family's prestige, and because of my service in the recent conflict Lieutenant Fleming put in a good word for me. And I get to walk with the surviving soldiers in the opening ceremony."

Bunnie smiled nodding and congratulating him, and Antoine smiled brighter. But as she congratulated him, she felt the urge to ask him why he sought such a stressful goal in life. Why he sought to take place as a blinded soldier who didn't even know what exactly they were fighting for? Killing for another man's cause and causing unnecessary violence? But she quickly remembered why they broke up in the first place. And if he wanted that type of lifestyle that was his business. He wanted the hectic life of the Military, and she wanted a quiet peaceful life away from such things.

It was their final departure from one another…

And Bunnie was a bit saddened to see him go, as it was always sad to say goodbye no matter the circumstance. So she kept her mouth shut donning a sympathetic smile as Antoine smiled brightly at her. Though she didn't think Antoine had changed that much because the position he got was demeaning, but he still seemed to like it because of the attention he was getting.

"It is slightly disappointing but one day I will get the prestige of the colorguard's and from everyone." Antoine said suddenly with a smug look on his face.

Bunnie then looked slightly annoyed, narrowing her eyes seeing his arrogance return but then smirked shaking her head and patting him on the shoulder with her organic hand "Yeah…best of luck to yiah…"

Bunnie removed her hand from his shoulder looking less annoyed and looking curious again "By tha way, where is everyone?"

"I think they're out collecting stuff from our bunkers. Are you going to help them?" Antoine asked her.

"Yeah, I think I'll go help em out so we can knock this ceremony out of tha way for dinner. Auhum already hearing my stomach grumble at me." Bunnie said in a jovial tone.

Antoine nodded on his crutches "I'm going to see if they need any help setting up the ceremony. I will see you soon."

"See you in a few." Bunnie said as she turned and walked towards the exit of the Castle.

Antoine turned towards the open auditorium doors and ambled with the ebb and flow of the crowds of people. And they didn't look back at one another, content in the directions they had chosen to go. And Bunnie felt comfortable not looking back this time as she was ready to walk on her own path in life. She wasn't sure exactly what that was yet, but she was glad of the experience she gained and the things she learned with Antoine, and she hoped the wisdom would help her continue to grow.

* * *

><p>An hour or two later…<p>

It was getting around evening and all of the population of now, New Mobotropolis, had gathered into the newly restored Castle Acorn auditorium and everywhere around the auditorium. It was still cloudy and gray out, but the sun had peeked out a few times while they were gathering from the bunkers. So the sun was still high in the sky, and they still had daylight as they commenced the ceremony.

Because they still had limited resources the auditorium was still bare, with only electricity from the new lights on the ceiling being new. There were no chairs and everyone stood, the announcements made in the auditorium were made with a nonelectric megaphone. The electricity provided by Nicole's nanites and her wireless power generator kept the whole castle illuminated; auditorium included. And the auditorium was packed to the brim full of chatter as everyone waited for the ceremony to commence officially. All the residents were packed to one side of the room while on the other side, what was left of the Royal Military stood in Military standing positions with their arms behind their backs. In the middle, back towards the farthest wall, was a makeshift podium made of wood and the King, Queen, Royal Military Generals, and many Royal officials were behind the podium. The Freedom Fighters stood in front of all the residents near the podium.

The soldiers all held serious expressions except one soldier who could barely contain their smile. Antoine stood amongst the many soldiers with similar injuries and even a few with crutches like himself. But Antoine's lips were curled slightly upwards as he glanced at the guys on the other side of the room. Bunnie, Sonic, Sally, Tails, Nicole, Amy, and Rotor all gave him a brief wave of their hands. And they could see how proud he looked of himself, but this ceremony looked to be getting started as a lieutenant general walked over to the makeshift podium made of wood. With a nonelectric megaphone under her arm, the lieutenant marched right up and in front of the podium.

The lieutenant waited a moment with a serious expression and glanced around the auditorium getting everyone's attention. Soon, all the chatter began to die down, and only once the entire auditorium was silent did the lieutenant speak.

Raising her nonelectric megaphone, her voice echoed off the walls and around the auditorium "Esteemed colleagues, the residents of the Knothole, brothers and sisters of arms, before we began let's give a round of applause to our servicemen and women."

The lieutenant lowered her megaphone and glanced over to the right side of the room. And everyone in the room began to clap in a modest tone. The clapping went on for a short amount of time and the soldiers held stoic expressions, all but Antoine who still held a smirk.

Once the clapping died down the lieutenant spoke into her megaphone again "It is my honor to introduce the commencement of New Mobotropolis. It has been a long road till this point, and without everyone's collective effort we would have all surely perished. We will first start with a state of the previously Knothole, now state of New Mobotropolis address by our Princess Sally Acorn. A member of the Freedom Fighters, who without their strategic planning, we would be in a world of trouble."

And people began to clap again as the lieutenant lowered her megaphone, as she glanced to her left towards the residents and Freedom Fighters. People clapped for a short amount of time for the Freedom Fighters as well, and Sally stepped away from the guys and up to the podium. The lieutenant stepped away from the podium handing Sally the megaphone as the clapping died down again.

Sally cleared her throat lifting up the megaphone to speak in a questioning tone "Good afternoon everyone. I have good news and bad news, so let's get the bad news out of the way first. Does that sound good?"

The clapping roared up for a second which indicated a yes and Sally continued, but this time her face became stern, and she spoke in a stern tone "I suppose I should start with our losses…"

And the sudden shift in her tone made everyone in the room lose their smiles, and a somber environment came over the room as Sally continued "We lost a sizable amount of people against Eggman and the Dark Legion. Even at our current estimates we still aren't exactly sure how many we've lost. We did our best, but this will surely hurt our production abilities in the near future I think we're all still amazed at the city that Nicole just built for us out of the blue, but we still lost more than we might have gained…"

It remained quiet as Sally continued "Our population has dropped again, and it will be hard to recover from our latest losses. In addition to our population loss, some of our resources were damaged during the attack. Two of our biggest crops were destroyed. Ten bunkers were partially damaged, and the materials inside. Our reserve food supply was damaged during the attack and needs to be replaced. New housing needs to be built and what is left for materials needs to be scavenged after all the large fires…"

Sally took in a breath with her stern face and continued "And what resources and materials that are left must be put into a reserve supply. There are obviously more things that were lost in the latest attack, but I will spare you the details for now. Now, we are still recovering from our injuries, and we are still not completely safe from our enemies…"

Sally briefly lowered the megaphone glancing around the quiet auditorium before lifting it and speaking again "Upon further inspection from the ruins of Robotropolis there was no trace of Legion technology. Along with Eggman disappearing as well, we currently do not know where the Dark Legion has retreated, nor Eggman. But unlike other times, this time we have some protection and wherever they may be, whenever they show up again we will be ready. And when they eventually show their faces again to attack us, we will be ready to face them from all sides…"

Sally lowered her microphone briefly letting her words sink in before she lifted it again "Now let us all have a moment of silence for our fallen…"

Sally closed her eyes and lowered her head, and everyone followed suit as a Royal Military marching band came into the doors of the auditorium. Consisting of a few large drums, medium-sized drums, and a horn player, their tune echoed through the auditorium. The marching band marched up towards near the podium and stood near the podium playing their tune for a while before they stopped. And once they finished Sally, then everyone lifted their heads and opened their eyes as she continued raising her megaphone.

Sally's stern expression softened into a smirk "The color guard will now present the House of Acorn, and then the ceremony will turn over to the King and Queen. Announcements about what is happening next in our new phase and more is coming next. So don't fall asleep, there is still plenty of good news to come."

A new stream of clapping erupted as Sally stepped away from the podium, handing the megaphone back to the lieutenant. And the lieutenant stepped back up to the podium as the marching band started playing again. As the marching band played five soldiers marched into the room. Two soldiers were on each side of the soldier in the middle carrying multi colored flags of blue, red, yellow, and green. The soldier in the middle carried a reddish brown flag with the Acorn Royal symbol as they marched straight to the main podium.

Sally rejoined the guys, and they all gave her silent approval with their smiles. And as they all turned their attention back to the color guard's everyone seemed to tune out. Except one Freedom Fighter…

Bunnie's smile lessened as she looked around at all the revelry. Antoine looked proud on the other side of the room, and Penelope looked to be waving at him. He was looking in her direction as well, and Bunnie figured he had made some friends in his new circle. And her mind began to wander again glancing out the corner of her eyes at the guys standing next to her. Her smile lessened even more into a slight frown as she began to realize, now that things were settling down again, she felt like she was back at square one…

It was like before her relationship with Antoine, and before when they were all just friends. Sonic was not with Sally anymore, and there was a general lack of understanding between them all like when they first met, and they were getting to know each other. And now that Antoine was out of her life, she was alone again…

Everyone had split up into their own little bubbles again, and she felt sad about it. She wanted them all to heal but the damage had been done, and nobody seemed to want to talk about it. So she was back where she started, everyone was. And she could see out the corner of her eyes that Sonic had donned a frown again. Bunnie quickly ripped her eyes away from him though as Sally glanced away for a moment. And as she pretended to stare at the colorguard she could feel her eyes linger on her before looking away. But Bunnie had saw her look…and she knew she wanted to talk…

Bunnie kept her light frown as the ceremony continued on doing her best to continue being inconspicuous. Sally stood right next to her and the guys all stood to her left. And she wasn't sure how suspicious the guys still were of her, but she knew if anyone was, Sally was on her tail, and she had a gut feeling that she had reached the end of the line with her. And Bunnie felt torn as she watched the colorguard because she was tired of all the silence, all the denial. And in a way she was hoping that something would give between all her friends; that something would come out into the open. Because frankly, she was tired of even her own inaction and now that they had time she hoped the silence of their past actions could come out into the open. And no longer close their eyes to what was in front of them…

* * *

><p>Two hours later…<p>

It was evening and the sun was starting to set, and the setting sun's red hues that were able to break through the cloudy skies poured into the Castle entrance area. Across the lowered drawbridge and extending halfway into the entrance area of the castle as people began pouring out of the auditorium. The front area of Castle Acorn was loud with chatter as people moved around, leaving the Castle, or going into other areas of the Castle. The Freedom Fighters were in a group near the entrance to the Royal Family's area conversing with one another. Talking about how the ceremony for New Mobotropolis had gone off without a hitch, and about the announcements Sally's family and the Military had made now that they had a new home.

They didn't like some of it, but they did like other parts of it, but for the most part, the speech was okay. They all agreed though that they weren't too keen on all the political power they might inherit if the city grew. Their talk and their facial expressions were mostly jovial despite the mixed news they received. And in the middle of their talk someone called Antoine's name interrupting them.

They all glanced behind themselves as Penelope waved at Antoine with a happy face. Just behind Penelope and all the people still in the area were Hamlin, Dylan, and some Royal officials. The snooty looking types, and Antoine nodded silently at the guys as he turned on his crutches and made his way over to her. The guys said later to him, though they look slightly bemused to the company Antoine now seemed to be keeping. He was from a noble lineage and the crowd he seemed to fit into and get along with sort of reflected that.

Antoine disappeared back into the auditorium with Penelope and the others as the Freedom Fighters turned their attention back to one another. Sally was the first to break away from the group as she had something important to do.

And Bunnie was caught offguard as Sally brought her with her; Sally raised an eyebrow curiously at her "Bunnie? Could I speak with you in private for a moment?"

Bunnie raised an eyebrow as well sounding hesitant though "…Ummm…yeah…what's up?"

"I just wanted to talk…" Sally held a curious expression on her face and in her tone.

But Bunnie looked slightly worried as she looked at Sally's curious face. Because she knew that wasn't it…she could feel it…and it made her pulse race…

Bunnie's heart began to race as she slowly nodded her head inching out a response "…Alrigh…"

Luckily, the others didn't notice her sudden apprehension in her tone, and Tails spoke enthusiastically to Nicole in Rotor's hand "Can we do an inspection of Castle Acorn? What else could we build now?"

Rotor lifted Nicole up as she responded "This would be a preferable time. There are many upgrades that need to be made to the city; Castle Acorn can be our starting point. For example, there is an area in the Military HQ where we can set up our first server room."

Rotor looked intrigued as he and Tails stepped away from the group and moved to the left towards the Military HQ. And as they walked away they could hear Rotor ask Nicole a question to which Nicole responded 'Those are restricted files Rotor'.

Amy then grabbed Sonic by his arm and dragged him towards the exit of the Castle with a happy expression "Sonic, and I will go help make dinner!"

Sonic looked slightly annoyed though he played along with her "I didn't agree to that…"

Amy waved at Sally and Bunnie, and Sonic looked defeated as Amy dragged him away. And in the midst of all the chatter around them, Bunnie glanced back at Sally, and all of a sudden Sally's face had become stern, and she remained silent as they locked eyes. Bunnie's eyes widened in surprise as Sally turned and walked into the Royal Family's area. Sally walked at a brisk pace, and Bunnie's brows wrinkled together as worry consumed her face. She hesitantly followed her at a slower pace and with the back of her neck tingling. She felt like she was in trouble, and somehow she knew she was…

The interior of the Royal Family's area was now well illuminated by the new light fixtures created by Nicole's nanites. This area of the Castle was more spacious than the others, and more luxurious. Two guards stepped aside as Sally and Bunnie entered onto a large red carpet that extended all the way down this spacious area to a throne atop a small pedestal with two chairs. The area was lined with large beige and white pillars, and the floor looked to be a brownish red type of marble. The walls and ceilings were a mix of white stone and wood paneling's. To the left and right were two spiral staircases that led to the upper areas of the Castle, and lined up and down the walls near the pillars were doors that led to other rooms.

Bunnie kept her worried expression as she followed Sally to the left, to the fourth door on the left. The Royal Family area was eerily quiet and even more so as Bunnie followed Sally into the room. She flipped on the lights, and Bunnie observed the only three items in the room with her lips curled down into a frown. There was a wooden desk and two chairs, one chair behind the desk, and one in front of it, which she knew was hers. The entire room was bare other than the fancy wooden paneling on the walls and ceiling, and the same reddish brown marble looking floor.

It was no doubt Sally might have asked Nicole for a favor…

Sally didn't even look at her as she walked around to the backside of the desk and sat down in her chair speaking in a blunt tone "Close the door."

By this point, Bunnie's brows had narrowed together into a frustrated look, complying as Sally faced her black chair away from her. Bunnie grabbed the door knob and pushed the door close. It was so quiet the click of the door was very audible, and so were Bunnie's metal footsteps as they tinked and tapped over to her chair. Her chair was a simple wooden chair, and it creaked as she sat down.

And Bunnie stared straight ahead at the back of Sally's chair and her red hair in the silence. Sally kept her chair turned away from her, and Bunnie's pulse remained heightened because she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to talk about. It was so silent only the faint sounds from the main hall reached the room. It remained quiet for a minute or so before Sally finally spoke.

She fully turned around in her chair still holding her stern expression, and she spoke in an upset tone placing her arms on the desk "Look Bunnie…I know how you've been acting lately wasn't about Antoine…its Sonic…"

Sally spoke with hurt in her voice, and Bunnie lost her frustrated look. Her eyes widened yet again in surprise, and her heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out as she was speechless at how well Sally had read her.

And she couldn't break her eyes away from her as Sally spoke again "…I know you were lying...its obvious Bunnie..."

Bunnie's eyes remained wide, and she stuttered while sounding slightly indignant "…Ah…ah mean...what in tha world are yiah talken bout Sally girl…"

Sally huffed through her nostrils, and she stood from her chair "I could see it in your eyes Bunnie! Please don't lie to me…"

Bunnie was frozen in her chair, and her surprised expression turned into a frown as she looked up at Sally's upset face. She could now say for sure she was totally wrong about how much Sally had suspected. She knew…

Bunnie then darted her eyes away from her and her slightly angered face, looking down at the floor as Sally spoke "I didn't notice it as much at first, but I've seen how you talked to him lately. I can hear how you talk to him…"

Bunnie kept her head low, and her hat obscured her vision as Sally continued to make her feel shameful as she went on "Are you planning anything?"

Bunnie's eyes widened again as she looked up at Sally's upset face and realized the implications of what she just said. Bunnie fervently shook her head "I was not tryen to encroach on y'all since yiah broke it off…I mean it…"

Sally crossed her arms looking unconvinced "Well it sure is convenient now that Sonic, and I have broken up. And now that you have broken up with Antoine…were you even planning on telling me?"

Bunnie's frown returned as her eyes narrowed sounding equally upset now "I didn't do it on purpose knaa."

And Sally blinked her eyes as she realized she was taking it a bit far. She sighed falling back into her chair, facing sideways still looking upset "I'm sorry Bunnie, I'm just a bit upset is all."

Bunnie nodded keeping her frown, and understandably so, Sally had good reason to be upset. Her emotional upset had caused her to act irrationally. But Sally continued to face sideways as she spoke again "What do you feel Bunnie?"

Bunnie remained silent staring at Sally unable to answer her as Sally spoke again "How much do you like him…"

Bunnie swallowed a lump in her throat as she responded "…Sally …it ain't like thet…at least I don't think it is…auhum still trying to work thangs out…"

Sally sighed in disappointment at her answer "Well whatever you plan to do Bunnie, it is not my business. You can do as you please…"

This time Bunnie stood up from her seat placing her hands on the desk as her frustrated look returned "Auhum not trying to bag up Sonic…"

Sally then turned her chair away from her again with her back facing her, and Sally remained silent. Bunnie raised her voice slightly "Sally?"

Sally remained silent though and Bunnie felt another wave of upset wash over her. As she understood every justification of why Sally was upset, and she couldn't get mad about her ignoring her. And it was also obvious that she did not want to talk to her anymore at the moment. So Bunnie stared at the back of Sally's chair for a few more moments before she removed her hands from the desk.

Bunnie's lips stayed pinched into a frown "Alrigh then…I'll talk to you later…"

Sally remained silent as Bunnie slowly turned and exited the room. She opened and closed the door, and it remained silent the whole time, and the click of the door as it fully shut remained the only audible sound.

And Bunnie took a few steps to the right but slowed to a stop as her upset face softened. She glanced back at Sally's door with a worried expression coming over her face again. Sally was really upset with her…

Bunnie then slapped her back against the nearest wall and her eyes downcast onto the floor. She had never seen Sally that upset at her, not at least since she'd accidentally broken her favorite comb years ago. And unfortunately she knew why more so than anyone. That being, she knew the level of feelings she held for Sonic, and she understood why she was so upset. Sally had shared deep personal musings with her over the years, and a lot of them had to do with Sonic.

It made her feel bad about her own feelings that she had developed. But she couldn't help the way she felt no more than Sally. But because she knew Sally's deep level of feelings for Sonic, it made the situation much worse now that she knew. It was almost like a betrayal…another betrayal between her friends…

Though no such thing happened, the sense of it was there, and it was likely to float in the air for some time coming. Bunnie crossed her arms continuing to stare at the floor. Dinner would be ready soon and Sally, and she were going to have to play a game. Act like nothing happened even though again for Bunnie the tension had risen between her and her friends, unwanted to her.

Her stomach was still in shambles from such an embarrassing encounter. Sally was going to be upset with her, and she needed to figure out what she was going to do about her own feelings for Sonic. Because she couldn't change the world, but she could change how she reacted to it. Sally had her feelings, and she had her own. She was going to try and make the best decision she could…and she had a bad feeling that she might neglect what she wanted in favor of others interests…

But the insecurities that continued to creep around in her mind said the opposite. Her self-esteem was low again right now, and she felt weak and powerless…

She could feel her selfishness welling up in her again, and she was caring less about what others wanted, and more about what she wanted. And she felt like pursuing what she wanted at the moment regardless of the consequences…

* * *

><p>Sometime later…<p>

Nighttime had fallen around New Mobotropolis and many people after have eating dinner went to lie down. Outside on the grass and some rested inside the Castle as many prepared for bed. Most of the bustle had died down as people got settled in for the night. Bunnie was in the entrance area of Castle Acorn, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall near many other residents doing the same. A stoic expression was on her face, and she was lost in her thoughts after having a decent dinner. Dinner was uneventful luckily, despite the side eye Sally had given her. But she ate with the guys, Antoine even joined them, and after eating everyone split up again.

Bunnie watched as a family with children walked past her out the Castle as she patted her belly. She knew Tails, and Rotor were currently in the Castle with Nicole right now. They were most likely going to sleep in the Castle tonight with all that tech stuff they were talking about. She didn't know where Antoine had gone, but she had a hunch he was hanging with Hamlin and all the upper management because of his connections.

Sally, Amy, and Sonic had gone off to somewhere in the Castle as well. She had excused herself, obviously, and unbeknownst to the guys because of what had happened with Sally. Making the excuse that she needed some me time, although she really liked spending time with others. No one other than Sally seemed to be suspicious about her feelings this time it seemed. Because she was quite subdued at dinner, she didn't talk much and no one seemed to notice.

And she felt quite alone again, because she was back where she started almost like when she first met the guys, alone by herself a lot of the times. And her expression remained neutral as, she tilted her head up and stared at the lights on the ceiling. She'd been thinking…and she'd built up her confidence over the last few hours after a good amount of thought…

She was going to get up in a minute…find Sonic…and confront him…

Though she had nervous jitters in her gut, someone needed to talk to him about his recent depression. It wasn't getting better, and they were all drifting apart because of it…

Just at dinner a few hours ago Sonic was almost as silent as her. He didn't make any jokes, he didn't smile, and all his enthusiasm was gone. It was sort of ironic that she was the one that might confront him given how often she'd turned a blind eye in the past…

Everyone continued to be very encouraging to Sonic, but he didn't give an inch. And now that Sally wasn't even able to break him from his current stubborn streak, he was emboldened not to listen to them. They couldn't go on like this…

Because if it continued down this path, it was certain that all their relationships would crumble in the years to come. So it would be for the best if Sonic could at least retain some of who he used to be. The heart of their team, the glue that held them together, without whom many times they would have gone under…

Bunnie then lowered her head and stared at her cybernetic arm keeping her stoic expression. Someone needed to pull him up now…

It had all been said by now. They talked when Sonic was not around sometimes, and they weren't sure what else to try or could be done. How they had treated him had affected him more than they could have ever imagined, and now that it was spilling over into now, they could finally see the damage of their actions.

Like herself, they could not take the damage away, it was done. And Sonic clearly had not forgiven them. To be fair though they hadn't really given him any formal apology either. Bunnie pondered why Sonic had become so un-trusting of them all as she stared at her cybernetic arm. And she began to realize that no one had really asked him just that…she certainly hadn't…

She slowly shook her head and ran her organic hand over her cybernetic arm. She didn't think they had really even acknowledged what happened now that she thought about it…

Bunnie's lips then pursed together as a light frown came over her face, and her hand drifted away from her cybernetic arm. She didn't feel her right arm anymore…the sense of loss from her body parts still disturbed her and made her feel insecure…

And that sense of loss made her think of her family and her past when she looked at her brown jacket arm. Bunnie took in a slow breath staring at the holes that needed to be repaired in her jacket's side. After Antoine, her jacket and hat reminded her of her terrible past. And her recent rotten behavior with Antoine reminded her of her family and past. That's why she started wearing it. She acted selfishly towards Sonic during the Anti incident, and was judgmental of him during the Metal Sonic incident.

They were two critical moments between them all, where she and the others turned their backs on him. A gap remained between them all now. After Antoine, she began to see how she had been acting bad like her family; acting out in selfish ways, and treating others badly. After Antoine, she quickly remembered that she didn't want to be like them. She wanted to change…

So she decided to wear her jacket and hat to remind herself not to be like that again because of the rotten way she'd been acting. That's why she told the guys whenever she had the chance about her past. That's why she remained transparent and truthful with them. That's why she wore this gift from her parents…because she didn't want to be like them…she did not want to be like her family…

And on Sonic…

She lifted up her cybernetic arm again and squeezed her metallic fingers into a ball. She stared down at her cybernetic arm with her frown. She like liked him for sure…

She felt a silly tingling sensation in her gut when she was around him. She thought silly thoughts about him. She felt something deep from him…

It was some type of love…

And Bunnie lowered her cybernetic hand with a soft sigh escaping her lips. Because she saw she could not stop her feelings and the way they were written all over her. In her demeanor and on her face…

She was full from a good dinner and was still hesitant about getting up and going to find Sonic despite her convictions. But she was lucky again tonight as her intended target came out of the Royal Family's area to her right. Her ears perked up as she stared at him walking at a slow pace towards the Military HQ; he was still moving slowly most likely because of his injuries.

She donned a curious look as he slowly made his way past some residents. He didn't notice her, and she wondered where Sally and Amy were. But her pulse raced as she saw the opportunity present itself…if now wasn't a good time, then no time was…

He was alone, and she could have his full undivided attention. She was nervous but she donned a determined face as she pulled herself up and followed him. She made sure to keep a safe distance though it was hard as her feet were noisy and this late into the night it was mostly quiet. So she was forced to walk at a slower pace to conceal her footsteps. The main area was still densely populated, but the Military HQ was empty other than some residents still coming from the medical area.

By the time she walked through the doors of the Military HQ Sonic had disappeared into the hallway that led to the medical area. Timidly she walked past a mother and her daughter as she moved to the entrance to the medical hallway. She peeked her head into the hallway first and to her left she spotted Sonic open a door and walk inside, also hearing someone else's voice. Bunnie's lips stayed pinched together only seeing a few other residents in the hallway, she felt it was safe and went left to continue following Sonic.

There were some people sitting on the floor, and they were dozing off it seemed as she passed by them. Once Bunnie reached the door at the corner of the hallway she was ready to wait for Sonic to come out. And as she readied herself to sit down the door flung open again. Bunnie raised an eyebrow in confusion as Dr. Quack walked out glancing behind himself obviously speaking to Sonic before he exited the room.

She could see Dr. Quack distorted through the glass of the door "Just turn out the lights when you're done, and tomorrow we'll check up on that leg." there was a short pause hearing other noise from the room "Hahaha, you're such a kidder Sonic. Good night."

Dr. Quack moved from the obscuring spot of the door and looked surprised momentarily when he saw Bunnie "Bunnie? Everything all right?"

Bunnie put on a fake smile "Nah, auhum not falling apart yet. I saw Sonic come through here, and I was looking for him."

Dr. Quack then smiled "Lucky you, he's in my office for some inflammation relief. You better hurry though, you know Sonic doesn't stay in one place long."

Bunnie nodded with her fake happy smile "Don't I know it."

Dr. Quack chuckled and told her that if she needed anything to come find him. And he walked down the hall and out of sight. Bunnie's smile then lessened as she turned back to the open door. Furrow lines wrinkled onto her forehead as worry came over her face once more.

There was a moment of hesitation as she could hear Sonic moving around in the room, but she was tired of waiting even from her own inaction. She was sure the guys were tired of what Sonic had become too. So she hesitantly walked over to the opened door and stepped into the threshold of the room.

Sonic faced sideways away from her drinking from a cup; he noticed her but didn't speak as he finished his drink. He held a slightly curious look. Bunnie's heart raced for two reasons though. She hoped what she was going to say didn't interfere with her feelings…

She cared for him in a way she didn't even fully understand at the moment, and she didn't plan on anything ever happening between them. Because it would certainly cause a lot of issues…

But on the off chance something ever did happen…

They were harmless thoughts…if…nothing ever happened…

Soon though Sonic finished his drink and glanced her way "Hey Bunnie, what are you doing here?"

Bunnie took a deep breath as she stepped fully into the room and Sonic faced away from her placing his cup into a sink. She closed the door, and her expression became determined as she locked the door just as Sonic turned back around looking confused. He saw the determined look on Bunnie's face blinking his eyes confusedly at her and waited for her to speak.

Bunnie stood in her spot with her eyes narrowed "Sonic…" Bunnie hesitated but forced the words from her mouth "…I wanted to talk to yiah about what happened…"

And Bunnie wanted to run from the room when she saw the frown that came over Sonic's face. It was well known by now that he did not like talking about this, but she had a personal interest in it as well. She didn't like what Sonic had become, and she truly wanted to see him better…

Despite the fear she felt she wasn't backing down this time…

Sonic stared her straight in the eyes "…I don't want to really talk about it…"

But Bunnie prodded with her determined look, staying in his face "Knaa stop it. Somthangs wrong here. I can't see yiah through this snow blind…yiah anit been yeur self lately…"

Sonic scoffed "And who exactly do you think I was? Did Sally put you up to this?"

Bunnie sounded slightly offended because her own recent behavior might have fueled some of his speech "Ahve made my mistakes, an I came to talk to yiah myself. An yiah know yiah weren't tha downer yiah've been lately, you an I both know thet…"

Sonic darted his eyes away from her and leaned on a nearby counter crossing his arms with a frown "Sorry…"

Sonic stared at the wall in front of him and Bunnie continued to stare at him as he spoke again "Look Bunnie…after all the stuff that's happened I just don't feel that enthusiastic anymore…"

Bunnie kept her tough face and shot straight though "Talk to me Sonic…how long have we known each other now? Yeur one of my best friends…I know yiah…come on knaa…what's bothering yiah?"

And for once something seemed to get Sonic's attention; he had been deflecting anyone who tried to cheer him up. Bunnie's heart rate increased as Sonic glanced over at her. He kept his frown, but she could see that he was considering what she said, something more than anyone could get out of him as of late. She hoped the honesty in her words got him to move unlike other times. He faced away from her once more remaining silent as he thought it over.

And Bunnie stood near the entrance of the room sweating slightly as no one seemed to be able to get this out of him. It made her more nervous that she got him to open up to her in trust. Because since none of the guys, including herself hadn't been able to do it, it made her wonder why. It also instilled a sense of more trust between them that he would even consider opening up to her. This unconditionality between them…it made her feel good inside…another thing that fueled her feelings for him…

And she wondered what was really bothering him, and if there was anything that could be done. It was silent for over a minute before Sonic spoke in the silent room, surprising Bunnie as he revealed his thoughts "…I can't look at anyone the same anymore…"

And Bunnie's strong face softened into a frustrated look again as she stared at him. She knew she had certainly made amends with her apology after their mission together. She thought back to all her recent rotten behavior. The way she had defended her uncle at his outpost…with action…not words…

And she saw how she might have made her own apology seem sort of hypocritical. That might have been a reason why he'd been un-trusting of her a bit still. Or like when Sally had slapped him in front of the whole village because she was worried about his safety. She was sure Sally had apologized profusely about it since the time it had happened, Sally had told her so anyway. And Sally had done things to make amends with him, so she wasn't so sure about exactly what he meant.

In fact, they had all taken some action to make things right with him. So she was still unsure exactly what he meant. They had talked directly to him about the stuff that had gone down. However, now from what he was saying, it was starting to seem like that it wasn't that they hadn't apologized. But more so that he couldn't forgive them…

And in a way she could relate to the sense of betrayal he felt; her brows stayed furrowed into a frustrated look "Is thet why you've been so un-trusting of everyone? Auhum sure everyone has acknowledged what's happened…"

Sonic nodded his head still staring straight ahead "Yeah but it doesn't make me feel any better…"

And Bunnie spoke with frustration in her voice this time "Well what's it going to take? Are yiah evva gonna forgive us?"

Sonic finally glanced at her with his frown looking irritated now "I'm trying to learn from it…what else do you want?"

Sonic uncrossed his arms and removed himself from the counter he was leaning on. And Bunnie knew he was ready to leave, but she wasn't going to let him as her determined look returned. She stared at him with intent eyes and her tone almost pleading "…I…ah mean…we want yiah to be yeur old self again…tha happy go lucky person we all used to know…tha positive guy you used to be and not tha unhappy person yiah've become…"

Sonic looked unimpressed though "…I just don't see things the same anymore Bunnie…things changed…"

And as Sonic began to move Bunnie finally began to see it wasn't them. It was him…

It was him that would not let this pass, and despite all they had done, he was not letting go. He could not find it within himself to truly forgive them. And it suddenly made sense why he had been so depressed all this time. He simply could not see them the same after what they had done…

And she could relate…after what her uncle had done she knew the feeling…

But everything had been said already, and everything was known. And if he left this room now there would be no turning back. They would surely drift, and the breaking of their friendship would be set in stone. And Bunnie donned a grumpy expression as she moved from her spot blocking his exit. She took off her hat, and her bouncy light orange hair flowed down to her shoulders.

Sonic put on a pout as Bunnie stood face-to-face with him "You can change how yiah feel too yiah know. Ahve made too many mistakes but thet's not all I am…"

Sonic tried to move past her to the door, but she stepped in his way again keeping her upset expression "It's only heavy if yiah hold tha past…" Bunnie's lips stayed pinched together seeing how stubborn he was being right now "…An yiah not letting go is holding yiah. We're all being dragged down by tha past…"

Sonic remained silent as he stubbornly stared her in the eyes, and Bunnie's brows remained knotted together "…Sonic...I won't let yiah walk away...without hearing what I have to say…"

But Sonic huffed a sigh through his nostrils, and he slowly stepped around her breaking eye contact. He walked to the locked door, and Bunnie put her hat back on and her tone weakened as she turned around.

She kept her frustrated look, but she found she didn't know what else to say "Sonic?"

But he kept walking, and her brows wrinkled in worry again "Please..."

Sonic ignored her again as he unlocked the door, but as he turned the door knob, she moved from where she was standing. She couldn't take it anymore, as she ran and grabbed his arm with her organic hand.

It halted him with his back turned as her head dipped, and she clenched her eyes shut. She raised her voice in a pleading tone through clenched teeth, looking for the right words "Please...could you jus…be yeur self again?"

Her voice descended in the silence of the room and there was a pause as she thought he would shrug her hand off. But he remained unmoving for a moment, and she squeezed his arm as she waited to see what he would do next.

She could almost feel a welling up in her eyes because she didn't know what else she or anyone could say. He was holding onto the past and unwilling to let go. It was almost like he held onto it just to remind them what they had done to hurt them…and it had hurt…

But soon she felt his arm lower, and she opened her eyes. She slowly released his arm, and her eyes widened as she looked up with a curious look. He stood with his back to her for a moment before he turned around…

Sonic's eyes were wide too, but in surprise as he looked at her with disbelief. And from the look on his face, it seemed the emotion from her words might have reached him…

The look of surprise on his face showed that he just understood that she and the others really did mean what they'd been saying. His jaw dropped a bit but his look also showed that he understood that she really did care for him…

And then a weak sympathetic smile formed on to Bunnie's face; she didn't know where those words had come from, but she knew they came from her true feelings. And it seemed that she was the only one that had finally communicated to him that they really did care. That she did care…

That they were sorry for their actions and meant there atoning. And her actions just now confirmed she truly cared about him and his wellbeing. And from the looks of it, it actually looked like he believed them this time.

Sonic was speechless as he looked at her, and Bunnie's eyes relaxed as she stared him in the eyes with a gentle smile as they connected; showing him even more the truth of her actions and words. She then raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck with no protest from him. He continued to look surprised, and Bunnie hugged him gently.

She buried her face into his neck and mumbled "I can't see yiah cross tha streamline sugah hog…"

It took a moment as Bunnie held him before he hesitantly patted her on the back. And they stayed in the hug for a while, as it seemed communication finally got to one another. He still looked genuinely surprised as he spoke "…I've been kind of a jerk again haven't I?"

Bunnie pulled back a little but still kept her arms around his neck. And she looked up at him with a curious look, almost sort of stoic. And Sonic looked puzzled "What?"

And without a moment's notice, Bunnie suddenly pressed her lips to his and kissed him. Sonic's eyes widened even more, but Bunnie was lost in thought before she did it. She knew it was a bad idea, but the curiosity of her recent thoughts and feelings got the best of her. It was only a brief kiss before she pulled away and Sonic looked shocked.

"Bunnie…." Sonic said with hasty confusion as he tried to push her away.

But Bunnie remained silent this time as she stared at him confusing him even more. Because she totally knew it was a bad idea. But for one reason or another, she did not care. The caring of another was something she wanted, and had with him. And her strong feelings for him were bubbling up again right now.

Her eyes became half lidded as she slowly inched back close to his face again. Sonic tried to move away, but she found her target and kissed him again. Her stomach bubbled in excitement as she felt passion likes the which she had experienced long ago when she thought she was in love with Antoine. But she knew the passion was real this time because of the strong ties between her and Sonic.

Sonic awkwardly held her shoulders as he somewhat returned her advances. And soon she got lost in it, feeling like she was melting in his arms as her eyes closed. She took her hat off and tossed it into the air, and it fell onto the floor as she embraced him more. She hadn't planned on doing what she just did, it just clicked in her mind, and sort of happened…

But she was learning as the days went by to go along with the change of life. To go with the flow. To let, go and stop trying to control and to not control how things turned out and how she wanted things to be. Because looking back at it things never really turned out the way she planned or the way she wanted. So she began acting in the moment, sort of like Sonic did. And even Sonic needed help sometimes, everyone does. And even through all the bad happenings they had all weathered, it seemed that to had changed…it had passed…

And now that they had a new home she wondered how it would all continue to change…

* * *

><p>ACTION! Its finally over! Eggman and Dark Legion succeeded in destroying the Knothole, but they also cannibalized themselves in their own greed. So Eggman and the Dark Legion were fended off! The Kingdom of Acorn found a new home! But at what cost? Bunnie got a small taste of retribution towards her uncle! Sonic finally saw the truth and was brought back from the brink! Bunnie consummated her feelings on a whim despite railing against how she felt. What will this mean for Bunnie and Sonic? What happened to Eggman? The Dark Legion? What will become of the Freedom Fighters relationships now that Sonic will recover? What will happen in the Freedom Fighters new home New Mobotropolis?<p>

Well you see there are still some unresolved questions right? So I will be writing an epilogue to tie everything up. This was the conclusion to the story though and it was epic. I hope you enjoyed because this is probably my last story forever. I thank you for keeping up with me and reading. I appreciate it. So until next time! Later.


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